The Simplicity of Life is a Lie
by Myrtle Turtle 1
Summary: All Erica Morgan expected for her last year of High School was boredom and paint stained hands. She didn't need or want Forks to throw up all its supernatural secrets on her, life was stressful enough. Maybe it was because she couldn't tell anyone. Being a mute was a pain. (Jasper/OC pairing.) **Slow updates- but not abandoned! See profile for explanation**
1. Chapter 1: The Canvas is Blank

*******Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta: ****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

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Chapter One:

Nothing ever made sense in Forks, Washington. That was something Erica was beginning to get used to thinking. All these thoughts stemmed from the strange shirtless boys in La Push, not that she was complaining, to the self-isolated Cullen's. But, it seemed like she was the only one who actually thought that those behaviors were just a tad strange – and by a tad she means a whole gallon in the measuring system. Yet, people didn't bat an eye. Mainly, it was because they're too afraid of them… or enjoying the view – in certain cases. There was no denying the Cullens weren't an ugly sight, and those shirtless men in winter were a nice way to warm up.

Maybe if they were ugly Erica would actually voice her mind's drifting thoughts. But then again Erica had no voice to use.

Born to an older couple as a last thought, when they realized Mrs. Morgan was approaching her forty-second birthday and the gray in her blonde hair was getting too much to ignore, they realized a child was something they would like to try. She was born eight and a half months later with follicles of blonde hair like her mother and eyes that would soon be hazel like her father's eyes. Her parents lived a blissful few months together before realizing something was off with their child. Mr. Morgan, a man three years older than his wife with a bald head, thought the darling baby was just plain dumb when she wouldn't respond to them and would never cry, something her birthing doctor said was perfectly normal. Mrs. Morgan believed the child had inherited her deceased great uncle's condition that was passed down randomly in their genes. A doctor with the last name of Kirk later confirmed that Erica Lynn Morgan was born mute and would likely be for the rest of her life. The medical explanation of it all was lost on her... even to this day.

It didn't really affect Erica much, seeing as her lack of speech had always been there and she didn't have any voice to miss. But she did wish she could hear her voice, sometimes she would pretend she could. But she was content living without the ability to talk. Her mother, however, was devastated that she would never hear the personal words of a seemingly perfect baby. She blamed everything and everyone, ranging from the four door car they owned and drove while she was pregnant to the doctor that confirmed Erica's existence. Erica's father didn't outwardly show his feelings on the subject, always choosing to remain indifferent and placing the silent blame of Erica's condition on his wife's lineage. His personal indifference had been something his wife had loved, but ironically that ended up being the thing that she listed as a reason for divorcing the "unemotional fool."

The divorce also didn't affect Erica. It was also something she had always known that her father lived in Seattle and her mother lived in Washington. The living arrangement never bothered her in the slightest; she didn't know the feeling of having one household. She was familiar and content with knowing she had to go to Seattle on weekends and stay with her father and her stepmother Lidia. The rest of her time was spent living with her mother and their dog Kirby – who, did have to travel with her to each home, and going to school.

When she was younger it was all homeschooling for her, as her mother didn't believe that Erica could survive school on her own without someone holding her hand. Frankly, she had the mentality that Erica could never do anything independently. It was only when her father stepped in was Erica allowed to start ninth grade at the High School near them. The main reason her mother agreed, after a year's worth of arguments, was because her father blurted out that she could "take the stupid dog that ate his ties" and keep the dog permanently to "help Erica adjust smoothly to school." Her father and Kirby never got along, mainly because the dog could reduce the man to a screaming fool until Lidia got home and suggested Erica take Kirby for a walk around the neighborhood. Erica, now that she looked back on it, did do a lot of walking in Seattle.

But now Erica strayed herself back to her current activity: twelfth grade physical education.

Yes, that little blossom of tiny stature and blonde hair was in her last year of school, which had officially begun the day before.

Her feet, covered in old dingy yellow sneakers, walked slowly on the field. Her heels were sore and almost burning, something her calves decided to mimic. Sweat shined on her pale forehead and her skin was blotchy with uneven patches of red. Her hair was sticking where it ended to her jaw, in an unpleasantly wet way. Despite the cold air, even though it was mid-August, but then again it was Forks, the ten minutes of running was already affecting her. She never was a very active person, despite almost four years of the same routine and her mother's own P.E. classes and insistent yoga routines. Erica didn't consider herself physically fit, now that she thought about it. She wasn't completely out of shape, just a bit puffy.

As the gym coach, Coach Clapp, a man with an intimidating height and no hair on his head, looked away, she took the opportunity to lean her sticky hands on her knees and exhale loud breathy bursts of air. Around her, the sound of feet slapping against the field pounded with the throbbing she felt inside her shoes. She was too exhausted to get up from her position, despite being sure it was their coach.

Who spoke wasn't the burly man she that taught this class.

"Eri, are you alright?" Amy Clear, or as Erica liked to say her "self-titled stalker" asked in a high-pitched voice, panting when she came to a stop in front of Erica.

Erica nodded her head, looking down at her knees that were speckled in fair knobby hairs then drifting her glance to the dead patch of grass under her dirty shoes. She lifted a clammy hand up that was clasped tightly in her friends own freckled and equally sweaty one.

"Aye! Morgan!" The coarse voice of their teacher spoke that time, "Stop piggybacking off of Clear and start running!" The sympathy and pity her teachers and students had been showing for the mute girl ran out some time during her junior year. Not that she minded, it was just this particular class that she would like to have an excuse for not being the best in; she wasn't a big fan of being compared to a faster old man named Wilson, that ran every day past the school.

It was amusing, the pity she means, when a new student would treat her like a war worn person with three missing limbs. She could carry her own books and make mute jokes, she just had to write them on paper or let Amy interpret her hand signals.

"Got it, sir!" Amy shouted back with the gracefulness of a hog, throwing Erica's arm back at her and running off.

She faltered in step to look back at Erica with a swishing pony tail."See you in Art!"

* * *

Erica wasn't that great at many things that much was obvious. Especially in school, though she did have trouble in certain things – like speaking. She barely passed her history, mathematics was laughable, chemistry was a solid B, literature was okay, and P. E. was self-explanatory. Yet, when you left Erica with a canvas, something just clicked. She liked to joke that if she couldn't speak with a mouth she could paint it with a brush, but nobody found it particularly funny… not even Amy.

When fifth period rolled around she was in her favorite place. Away from an overbearing mother, two adults who didn't want her in their Seattle home, a dog that was sadly one of the few people that understood her, and near the smell of paper. She wouldn't admit it, but the smell of paint was nice too; however that led to many concerned glances from both her teacher and the other students.

All she had to do in that class was dribble some paint in a somewhat orderly arrangement. There was no questions concerning the periodic table, neither where there any besting of others. You couldn't exactly say your art style was better than anyone else's as it was all a matter of perspective and preference.

That wasn't to say Erica was actually good at art. In fact she was well aware she was lacking the gentle touch with a paintbrush. But, she could express herself and her feelings didn't tend to be quite gentle themselves. It wasn't like she could yell at a pillow or let out any frustrations, to do that she had to aggressively tap her finger on the table until her mother understood she was upset. Sometimes she liked to breathe out of her nose loudly too. But in art class, all Erica needed to do was stab her paintbrush painfully into paper until she was calm enough to be trusted with a cheap canvas.

Today she was favoring a yellow marker. A happy bright and uplifting shade that she used to draw smears in a pattern on her blank paper.

"Well isn't that, er, orderly?" Amy stated as she loudly sat down at a table shared between the two girls. She pulled out her own art supplies, a charcoal pencil and pad of paper that she had gotten near the door.

_'Well, it's hardly chaotic.'_ Erica wrote down in messy and small writing on an open notebook between the girls. It was her old fashioned way of communicating with others. It saved the school the trouble of hiring an interpreter to follow her around and more humane than forcing the entire faculty to learn sign language.

The girl beside her rolled her eyes, before examining the cover of a magazine with a penguin on it. She held it up along with one that had a picture of another animal.

"What do you think?" She asked, raising an eyebrow impatiently as Erica adding two more smears before looking up.

She took one glance before scribbling one word down and returning to her work, _'Penguin.'_

Her yellow was now joined with blue paint on top of it, which kept her constant attention.

Amy sighed next to her, dangling the pencil in her hand. "Well, aren't you talkative today."

Erica gave her a pointed look. _'Ha, ha, ha… Did that take you a while to come up with?'_

"Yes, yes it did. In Freshman year I thought it would be insensitive."

For Amy Clear, her pity went away three months after knowing Erica.

It was one of the main reasons why they were still friends.

* * *

The history classroom was located near the parking lot, which meant the sounds of cars driving by and horns were all too common. The carpets and white wallpaper seemed to have the smell of exhaust soaked into their fibers. Sixteen students sat at eight double student desks that for the most part were clean. A short and thin man with balding black hair and large brown eyes stood before them, rubbing his dirty wire rimmed glasses on the stomach of his checkered shirt.

"Alright students, let's crack open those history books and start to learn a thing!" He spoke with a loud hoarse voice.

Erica gave a dry look to the overly enthusiastic teacher in front of her. Her speaking notebook was open and pushed to the side to make room for the thick history book with a kiwi on the cover.

"Today we will be doing a paper, the _first _paper of the year!" The teacher, Mr. Doyle, was walking in front of his desk with large hand gestures. "Can anyone guess?"

Bored glances where exchanged between Amy and Erica, the former adding an exaggerated gesture of vomiting. Other students glanced around neither raising a hand, prompting a disappointed sigh from Mr. Doyle.

"C'mon you guys! Where's the enthusiasm?" He sighed and dropped the large smile at the students blank faces. Erica had to keep an amused smile away. "Alright, the group paper will be on the Confederate Army."

One word in that sentence prompted several hands to fly up into the air.

"Wait, group?" one student with dark red hair, Alicia Parks, asked after her question was selected.

"Well, more like partnership." Their teacher confirmed with a smile, pulling a sheet of paper from his desk. "And, I have the groups paired here."

That prompted a few students to give an annoyed groan. Erica settled for sticking her tongue out at her pouting friend.

Mr. Doyle gave them each a glance before holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm the teacher, which means I get to have some fun with this paper that doesn't only involve grading them."

"Alright," he continued, leaning on the edge of his desk, "Alicia Parks and David Smith."

He continued down that list with several names. "Erica Morgan and Jasper Hale, Felicity Jones and Mia Cooper ..."

* * *

**A/N: This wasn't going to be an OC pairing but then I remembered the wonderfulness that is Jasper Whitlock.**

**Sorry if this offends or is annoying you. But, be assured that there will be no Alice bashing or what not. Alice is actually my favorite character. So, naturally, I made her relationship with Jasper to be nonexistent in this fic. She'll probably be given a different mate in place, however.**

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**Disclaimer: Frankly I own nothing besides my brain and currently Amy Clear and Erica Morgan (and parents, Lidia, teachers, dog, etc...). To save time, and people from potential boredom, I will just simply make the statement that I own nothing besides OC's mentioned in this fanfiction. Twilight is not among my possessions.**


	2. Chapter 2: Plain Font

***Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta: ****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

* * *

**A/N: I'm going to be honest, I didn't think anyone would actually want to read the first chapter, let alone review, favorite and follow. I thought you would hate my writing. I am going to take a moment to say thank you for continuing this far and not hating Erica. I can't explain how much it means to me.**

**Disclaimer: OC's: mine. Twilight: not mine. *insert dorky thumbs up and cheesy smile.***

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Chapter Two:

Stunned was an understatement. Erica was frozen to the point where she wondered if her heart stopped beating. Her eyes were wide to the point of being laughable, and if she were a cartoon character her hair would be sticking straight up.

_'Jasper Hale and Erica Morgan?! What kind of joke is this?'_

Erica's already messy writing was now chicken scratch as she scribbled the words frantically and held them so the girl directly behind her could read them. A minute later, as their teacher was pairing up the last six people, a crumpled ball found its target in her blonde hair. She pulled it out, ignoring the snap of hair being taken with it, keeping her eyes on her teacher.

'_I really don't see why you're complaining, ;)' _was the reply Amy had to offer.

Erica rolled her eyes, tapping a short nail into her desk. It was a tick she had developed so her mother would know she was upset.

It wasn't like she had anything against the Cullen's, she really didn't know anything about them because it seemed like no one did. But, that was the problem. How would she be able to tell if Jasper Hale wanted to work on this project calmly or strangely with her, or maybe even leave her in an alley while walking off with their A+ alone.

It was that kind of paranoia that both her mother and Erica shared.

Mr. Doyle had now finished pairing students. Putting that piece of paper down on his dark desk and trading it for a blue whiteboard marker. In the top right corner of his board he wrote 'The Confederate Army' in bold and neat font. He underlined it and proceeded to write the parings down in smaller and more rushed looking font.

"Alright," He turned to them with a loud clap of his hands. "Your project will be fairly easy. I just want you to research the men behind the war."

He held up his hands to stop any eye rolls or protests, "I already know about this war and so do you, at least you should, so now I want you to know these men."

A note had hit Erica's hair, which she quickly fished out before Mr. Doyle could see.

"I want a quick little look into who they are." He smiled at them, "Mainly because who knows how hard it could be to look into a soldier's history."

Erica lowered her body, placing the note in her lap.

'_I wouldn't mind "researching" a soldier.'_

Her hazel eyes involuntarily rolled, she should have expected that comment. Despite the innocent air Amy carried, she was the opposite of a prude. She leaned over her notebook.

_'I think he might.'_

After she lifted it up for Amy to see, she turned her head back to see Amy nonchalantly waving her hands in reply. That prompted another eye roll.

Mr. Doyle's brown shoes scuffed on the floor when he began walking up and down the aisle between the desks. "I want you and your partner's to work together your research."

He was now on the other side near the windows overlooking the car parking lot. The scent of car fumes was strong, especially since it was the last period of the day and any parents that picked up their children were there already. It made Erica almost happy her mother insisted bikes were the new way of transportation. She didn't want those fumes in her lungs any longer than necessary. However, she wished she could stay on earth with the extra ten years her mother guaranteed without all the sweat involved with the bike riding ten minutes twice a day. Her mother was a strong believer in protecting the earth, something she and Lidia had in common.

Erica was still reeling from the fact she had to work on a paper with a Cullen. She didn't understand why they needed partners, the paper didn't seem difficult to complete without the assistance of others. Even with the fact that last year's history grade was a C, Erica had faith she could do this paper alone.

Class continued on as it regularly did. Mr. Doyle had them do an impromptu quiz to remind their brains of the lessons they learned last year as juniors. Erica wasn't called on to answer any thrown out questions—which tended to be a common occurrence in her classes. The pity for the silent girl was gone, but they rarely called upon her for answers. It was dull and unfair, in her opinion, but she couldn't exactly protest against it. When she wrote out her thoughts the tone of her words was lost on people. It was almost painful to see her sarcasm or humor lost on people. They either thought she was upset whenever she made mute jokes or sarcastic when she wrote her laughter out.

She was just happy to have made it this far without aggressively mouthing curse words.

* * *

The walk home was long and wet. Though, unlike P.E, it wasn't sweat coating her skin; it was the rain dropping down on her. She assumed she looked like a drowned animal. She could feel her hair slicked down on her skin like a second coat, bits flying into her mouth and covering her eyes. Her yellow shoes were now dirtier than before; her walk home included trailing through an unpaved park. Her dark jeans were splattered at the bottom in random patterns of brown, and the rainwater made them look darker and uncomfortably tight. Her dark gray long sleeved shirt provided no warmth or aid in the rain.

It wasn't even a horrible rain, just a light downpour, but after walking an additional five minutes due to the rain she was ready to drop dead on the sidewalk.

She wished she had taken Mrs. Clears, Amy's mother's, offer to ride home in the Clears silver Toyota. But, her pride just wouldn't allow it. She'd taken this path home for four years, she could manage another day.

At least that's what she kept reminding herself.

Then she began chanting it in her head when her foot stepped into a water filled dip in the concrete. The squelching of one foot followed her all the way up the five steps to the blue door of her home.

Inside, there was one big room for their kitchen and living room. A hallway in the middle of the two led to two bedrooms and one bathroom shared between Heather, her mother, and Erica. Erica unlocked the door with the key she fished out of her unfairly dry backpack, tossing the gray thing on the floor near a brown couch, and plopping her feet across wood floors. She didn't want to look back to see the certain mess of puddles she knew she made.

"Erica Lynn!" Her mother's upset voice confirmed the mess.

Erica was quick to grab the small pad of paper on the counter, scribbling a quick apology. '_Sorry! It started raining during my walk home._'

Her mother sighed, walking into the kitchen and picking up a dish rag. Pointing a finger with the hand holding the rag, "You have to clean it up, Missy."

Erica nodded in understanding and kicked her shoes off to prevent any further messes. She took the suspiciously damp smelling rag in her hands so she could lean forward on her knees and soak up the excess water.

Heather Morgan, who now preferred to go by her maiden name of Cailer, was admittedly a calm person. But when you dirtied her house or the environment she was scarier than anything Erica had ever seen. She had yet to find a scarier person. Her mother liked to coddle her mute and only child, keeping the girl as sheltered as possible. Erica had only been to one sleepover and never hosted any of her own. When she had to do projects they had to go to her home only. Erica wasn't sure how Jasper Hale would take that; he and the rest of his family seemed to not like associating with others. Maybe he and Erica would bond over their similarities. He had short blonde hair, she had short lighter blonde hair, they were both isolated from others most of the time.

Or maybe Erica needed to get her head out of the clouds and try and do the work before he could.

Without writing down what she was off to do, Erica tossed the rag on the counter and swooped down for her backpack. She waved goodbye to her bemused mother and walked down the carpeted hallway, making a sharp right into her room. Homework was lamely dumped onto her yellow blanketed bed, Erica following suit and depositing herself onto the surface. A pencil was haphazardly grabbed from her bag when she remembered its importance.

Her homework was as she expected, slightly difficult and somewhat gibberish. Art homework was her favorite, they were simply told to draw whatever came to mind. It was nice to have a teacher like Miss Taylor, someone who threw out A's and understood Erica without paper and pencil. She almost made her feel normal every now and again, as if Erica had actually spoken to her, especially when Miss Taylor knew how she was feeling and the need to express it like a kindergartner with his or her first paint set.

Once she had finished her history homework, doing the assignments in the order of which they were assigned, she stood up from the bed. Her position had changed seven times before she settled on her stomach. It felt nice to stretch her now stiff legs, though she could barely bend her knees. Two hours had gone by and she didn't feel like wasting, as she put it, anymore of it. Doing the paper herself was going to take some time and effort.

The internet was a nice place to start, she came to realize. It had all she needed at a few presses of the keyboard.

Erica was hunched over the computer desk in the living room having relocated from her bedroom to focus better. The electrical light coming from the monitor was coating her in an off-white sheen. The current search had been a dead-end with unrelated content. Admittedly, she was ready to give up and turn in for the night. Despite having only spent such little time on her efforts, she had to be honest and admit she couldn't do it on her own—at least in her present attention span was at its limit, and her limbs felt stiff and sore from being in the same position and day clothes. Her hair was slicked back by a headband and her nightshirt and shorts were begging to be worn. All in all, to Erica, giving up sounded better than not working with Jasper Hale at the moment. She didn't know if she would regret that decision or not, but she didn't care.

With a sigh she turned the computer off, giving it a dejected stare before leaving the computer behind her as she trailed back to her room.

* * *

The new school day had gone by with a blur.

In her math class she had actually gotten the opportunity to answer a question, giving her a warm feeling. She did answer it wrong, but that didn't matter. In literature her poem wasn't that bad and not for the first time that class made her appreciate her muteness. P.E was another story, her cheeks were still red when art rolled around, and her arms were too sore to sketch from the volleyball game her class played.

History began like normal.

The classroom smelled like old car fumes and Mr. Doyle was sweating through his shirt in the warm air. Erica sat at her normal desk, one row away from the front and to the right. A boy named Dean that was in her art class last year sat next to her, flicking through his textbook. Erica's speaking notebook separated them in a way that was becoming routine for the new school year. Her hair was falling in her face and she amused herself by blowing it away and letting it fall back down—just until all the students filed in.

Once the noise of students passing idle words to their friends subsided, Erica opted to wave at Amy, while Mr. Doyle stood up.

"Good afternoon class." Mr. Doyle greeted, just like he did each day and for each class he had.

The rest of the class continued routinely. It wasn't until the end did Erica notice anything different.

Rather, it wasn't until Mr. Doyle asked Erica to stay a few minutes after class that she noticed something was off.

'_Am I in trouble Mr. Doyle?_' Erica tried to write in her neatest font.

Her teacher shook his bald head, "Not at all Erica. I just wanted to ask you if it is okay with you that Jasper doesn't work with you."

Her eyes blinked owlishly, before she came out of her stupor to scribble a reply. '_May I ask why he can't work with me?_'

"He's not going to be able to do any research with you, so it's unfair to have both students share the grade of one's work." Mr. Doyle explained, sitting down at his desk.

Erica nodded in fake understanding. Taking the following silence as a dismissal, Erica left.

She couldn't understand why Jasper Hale didn't—no couldn't work with her on the project. In truth, she was grateful she didn't have to get closer than necessary to a Cullen, but it did nothing to soothe the irritation. Was Erica just not good enough to work with the genius that is the Cullen name? It was a known fact that the Cullen family was smart, their father was the best doctor at Forks General Hospital and his adopted children were straight A students. Sure Erica was no Cullen, but she managed to keep good enough grades.

She huffed a silent breath, and decided that Jasper Hale would regret not working with her once he saw her A+ paper.

* * *

Erica decided to take Mrs. Clears' offer this time, enjoying the comfortable warmth of the car she was in. Her notebook was in her lap while Amy chattered on and on. The current topic was boys.

"So, Mom, did you know Erica is gonna work with a Cullen boy?" Amy's mother was as big of a gossip as well.

Mrs. Clear looked back and gave both girls a wide smile, mimicked by Amy, as she almost cooed, "Oooooh, which one? Tall and blonde, tall and red, or shorter and strong looking?"

Erica half-grimaced and rolled her eyes at the pair, holding up her new words. '_Neither, he can't do the research with me so we're doing separate papers._'

Amy furrowed her eyebrows looking at Erica with the closest glance to pity Erica had received from the tall girl. "Wait, so you have to do the paper by yourself?"

Erica nodded in confirmation.

"Well, Amy can do it with you sweetie!" Mrs. Clear volunteered her daughter with a chirpy voice.

Erica couldn't help the silent laughter that escaped her. It wasn't something she did often, since she thought she looked like a seal barking with wheezes instead of laughter. But, whenever she was with her dearest friend it happened often. Amy rolled her blue eyes, though she nodded to confirm her assistance.

"But, you have to help with mine too!" She declared, pointing a finger at the blonde.

The girls were deposited at the Morgan house, Mrs. Clear speeding off down the road. Amy strode up to the house with a familiarity reserved for one's own home, even pulling out a key to the small house. Erica rolled her eyes, normal to the sight, and followed Amy inside.

Amy was already sitting at the computer desk, her backpack on the couch and shoes by the door. Erica followed and pulled up a dinning chair to the desk. Amy was already on a page with a list of soldier's names. Unlike Erica, Amy was exceedingly good at her classes and had better common sense—something Erica didn't use to get to the webpage Amy was on. The brunette was raptly scrolling down the page and reading the names, before stopping and moving the page up. Erica's head almost hurt from her eyes trying to read the list as it was moving, thankful once they stopped.

"Lets do this one, it's almost ironic." Erica shifted her eyes over the list trying to see the name Amy settled on, before finding it.

In plain font the name Jasper Whitlock stood out.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for any mistakes, I rushed this one to be posted before dinner.**

**Thank you so much for the first review! ^~^ Would I be a bad person to ask for more?**


	3. Chapter 3: Papers

***Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta:****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

* * *

Chapter Three:

Jasper Whitlock. He did have a nice name, Erica had to admit. Not that she was going to be writing that Jasper Hale had a nice name. It was the Whitlock that made the whole thing. Whitlock—it almost sounded whimsical.

Turning her attention back to the task at hand, she strayed away from the silly thoughts.

The computer monitor hummed in the silence that both girls had created between the two while searching. Erica shifted her knees under her chin and rested her head atop them.

Amy had already clicked the blue link under his name, eagerly reading the loading words on the page. It wasn't a very credible looking site, the font was plain and the background was a harsh blank white, the banner on the top could have been made with better quality by Erica herself. Amy didn't seem to mind it though, especially with image that finished loading.

"Major Whitlock," Erica read off the screen to herself, "was the youngest Major in the Confederate Army. It only took him two years of service to earn that title. He was born in Texas in 1844 to a mother who died after the birth of his younger sister and a father who died one year before Jasper Whitlock enlisted in the Confederate Army. He was only seventeen at the time of his enlistment."

Erica's own hair was barely longer than his hair, which had a more golden shade of blonde. She couldn't tell what color his eyes were exactly in the black and white photo, but they were dark. His skin was pale, but then again she didn't know what shade. He was also very handsome. So handsome that she might compare him to a Cullen, more specifically a certain Hale. It seemed they didn't only share names.

Amy seemed to be thinking along the same train of thoughts, "Holy mother of resurrection!"

Erica jumped away from the monitor, startled by her friend's exclamation. She was quick to grab her notebook and write in her lap.

'_Is that your reasoning for the resemblance?_'

Amy looked at her as if Erica was dumb. "Well, yeah. How else would Jasper and, err, Jasper look alike?"

Erica didn't get any time to write again. "Maybe that's why he wouldn't work on the paper with you! Maybe he knows he's an old soul!"

He knows something, Erica silently added. Just what is it though?

'_I think that maybe it's just a dumb coincidence. They don't look that much alike. Jasper Hale is sharper looking, and Jasper Whitlock is softer looking._' More human looking, Erica added to herself.

Amy had a wicked grin, "So you think of the Cullen's faces often?"

Erica swatted Amy away. She didn't like the Cullen's. Something about them drew her in, and not in a good way. Something about their self-isolation and similar attributions without any blood relation caused distrust in her, and didn't settle well with Erica. The Cullen family was confusing and, frankly, too perfect. How could all of them share the same eyes, a light yellow and pale skin? They were intimidating and Erica was scared of them. Or maybe it was the unknown they carried with them that scared her.

"Let's do the paper on him!" Amy squealed happily, opening a Word document. "Especially since you like his look alike!"

Erica pushed her hands away from the mouse refusing to cover the blush on her cheeks that could be seen in the glow of the monitor. '_No, I want to do it on someone else._'

She ignored Amy's satisfied look, taking control of the mouse and going back to the list of names and clicking on the first she saw, Private James Brown.

* * *

"James Brown was twenty four when he enlisted in the Confederate Army. Born and raised in Texas to a single mother named Delilah Brown with a twin sister named Lottie …"

Mr. Doyle read her paper for her, all five paragraphs of James Brown's public life. Erica, for obvious reasons, couldn't do it herself. She opted for standing to the side of Mr. Doyle, keeping her arms knotted behind her back and her head down. Mr. Doyle was the only teacher that actually made Erica stand up in front of the class while her paper was read aloud. It smelled stronger of car fumes closer to his desk; Erica couldn't help wonder if it was Mr. Doyle that smelled and not the classroom. She could see every one of her classmates' faces from in-between the hair strands covering her eyes. Amy was smiling widely, showing off four years of orthodontic treatments, with her bangs pinned back by a headband as blue as her eyes. Erica couldn't help the wonder her eyes took, all the way over to a certain boy—Jasper Hale. He was looking out of the window, disinterest just rolling off him in thick waves. She couldn't help the surge of anger. What did she ever do to earn such boredom from him?

She would have snorted if she could. It was ridiculous for her to think such things. Jasper Hale was, and would always be, a person she didn't care about.

But, if that were true, why did she blush when his eyes looked up at hers.

Erica Morgan was reduced to blushing when a boy, Jasper Hale no less, looked at her. Her warm cheeks faded with the anger she felt—at herself. Erica didn't need high school crushes, nor did she have one her mind screamed, so her face didn't need to portray it.

She watched with a twisted mouth as Jasper Hale raised an eyebrow at her.

She almost wanted to scream, until she noticed Amy was glancing at her like that as well. And so was their teacher.

"Ms. Morgan?" Mr. Doyle asked timidly, "We've been done with your paper for a few minutes now, would you like to go back to your desk?"

She didn't know what true embarrassment was until that moment. The times when her mother coddled her, or when her father announced his marriage to someone thirteen years younger than him didn't compare to this one moment in class. She shuffled her feet slowly, keeping her burning face down. She could hear other students whispering and laughing once she had sat down. Her saving grace was the ringing bell.

* * *

The car parking lot smelled worse than history class and sounded worse too. The cars grumbled coarsely and gasoline scents filled the air. Student's laughter and loud voices echoed over the engines grinding noise. Erica's shoes clomped loudly as she fast paced her walk down them. She hadn't lifted her head up since class, afraid her embarrassment would still be streaked on her round face. She was thankful it didn't look too strange to have her hair thrown in front of her face like a shield defending a knight. In her case, the shield was protecting her from any looks people could give her. She didn't mind them, and she knew they talked about the mute girl, but she just didn't want to acknowledge them.

Amy was trotting down behind her, her small heels clicking against the mud and water streaked cement. Amy would let out small curse words when her hands slipped on the railing as she tried to catch up with the short girl. Erica didn't relent on her space, only increasing it once she stepped on flat pavement. She ignored Amy's protests and Mrs. Clears van, walking away from the two. She was too embarrassed to let anyone see her.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you soooo much for your reviews! I wasn't going to answer them hear originally, but then I decided to do it. Sorry for the long wait in chapters and responses. I'd also like to apologize for the short chapter.**

**perra95: Thank you! I love hearing people like my writing, I don't really have much confidence with it. ^~^**

**Guest: Thank you for the review, it feels reassuring to hear people don't think Erica's too Mary Sue. I do plan to turn her, in fact I sorta have the moment written out already in my head. :P**

**DontWaitUpForMe: Your review is very nice! Thank you! It bugged me that Jasper was just sorta thrown to the side, as well. I can't begin to say how nice it is to hear Erica is realistic.**

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who has pressed the follow/favorite "buttons".**

**It sounds greedy, but reviews mean so much to me and I have no non-awkward way to ask for more, so uh, yeah.**


	4. Chapter 4: Blank Voice

***Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta:SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

* * *

Chapter Four:

It almost felt like a walk of shame, not one of embarrassment, and she was sure it looked like one. Her face felt flushed—despite the cool air—and her shoulders were hunched forward in a sad attempt to shield her face away from any passing cars. Her shoes scraped on the rough pavement of the parking lot, the scent of car exhaust unnerved her. Her father rarely drove around with Erica when she was younger and her mother didn't believe the use of one was necessary anymore. It had been one of the things she had thrown herself into after the divorce: world safe habits. Owning a car or promoting the use of one by being in one was not eco-friendly. Her mother would ground her for weeks if she knew Lidia, her stepmother, taught her how to drive and that Erica liked to hitch rides from Amy and her mother on occasion.

The people around her were loud, chattering endlessly and loitering for no reason. She didn't like all the extra noise—she found it unnecessary. Maybe she wouldn't be so against it if she had more friends, ones who would wait for her for an hour after the final bell. Or maybe she just didn't like it because she wasn't used to it, being home-schooled didn't involve hordes of people.

She felt like they were talking about her, each time someone would laugh and it echoed on for an additional minute. Erica knew it was silly to think, but the nameless voice in her head always offered unneeded worries for her. Sometimes she pretended the voice was actually hers—it didn't really have a distinct sound, it was just there. It never really felt like hers, maybe when she was younger, but that feeling dissipated as she grew older. Her lack of voice didn't bother her, after all why would it when she didn't have it before. She didn't mind it or feel jealous of others, it would feel stupid or petty to have such emotions. It's not like she really wanted anyone's voice. She couldn't picture it.

They were nonessential thoughts and phrases that she found a surprising growth of amusement in. They drifted her mind away from history class and she hoped she didn't stray back.

She paused to sit on a bench, wanting to keep up her antics. After a quick look she noticed Amy was already gone, as well as half the cars. The Cullen's were still here, something she quickly ignored and scolded herself for noticing.

But, she couldn't help but peek back at them. Alice, a short junior, was sitting on the hood of a car that Erica didn't even want to think about how much it cost. The girl just swung her feet back and forth so carelessly it made Erica envious. She could see the other younger Cullen, named Eddie or something, sitting inside the car. She couldn't see what he was doing, and she didn't really care. The others were still inside, the remaining three were also in Erica's year. It must have had something to do with their classes then.

Erica visibly shrugged her shoulders, she didn't care what the Cullen's did. She didn't even know why she was looking over at them.

Except she did. The research paper she had done had gotten her thinking, about a certain Jasper Hale. She always needed a reason for something, a flaw she admits to, but she couldn't even fathom one that logically made sense to her. How could someone from the Confederate Army look so similar to a boy at her school. The similarities didn't even end in facial features, the way Jasper Whitlock's hair waved and stopped matched Jasper Hale's, and they even shared the same blank, almost proud, expression. She would even assume they were the same height and weight.

It drove her crazy. It didn't make sense to assume they were the same person, it just wasn't possible.

* * *

Her mother wasn't home today. It didn't surprise Erica much. Heather Cailer was usually late walking home from the market in town or work. Her mother probably left late on purpose, considering it was a Friday. The day her father and Lidia picked her up and kept her for the weekend. Erica's mother didn't like being in the company of the two, she said her parting words to Erica before school and had nothing she wanted to say to her daughter's father and stepmother.

Erica didn't expect to see them for another half an hour, so she took her sweet time to eat her mother's homemade vegan bread. After all, it was the last time for the next couple of days that she would be able to. She loved her father, she even loved Lidia, but she didn't particularly like being so far away from her Mom. It made her feel small, like she was seven again, missing her Mother that way. It was understandable, wanting her Mom with her when she felt so faraway. Her Mother was, and always would be, her best friend. Despite her coddling, Heather Cailer always held Erica's best interest at heart.

Her father was ten minutes late, based on his usual arrival time. Erica was happy to see Lidia hadn't convinced him to do the hair plugs or the diet. He didn't need either, his head was familiarly bald and body soft. Erica shared his build—not exactly skinny but soft enough to not see any bones or defined marks. Lidia was another story. Erica, once she got into the four door Honda, noticed Lidia was now a brunette, versus last week's four month long stint as a redhead. She truly loved her stepmother, Lidia was always caring and dotting on her stepdaughter, and always a constant that aided her heartache from being away from her mother.

But, if Erica was honest, in any other life she didn't think she would like Lidia. Her stepmother was very fond of nail polish, makeup and having her hair done. During Erica's stays were the only times she ever experienced makeup and anti-frizz gels. Heather never liked the stuff, so in turn Erica didn't own any of it. Lidia loved going to parties and following trends. Once there was the grunge phase that Erica didn't really follow with considering she was quite young. Lidia could truly be shallow and gossip about other people too. But who didn't, no one was perfect.

That didn't mean she didn't love Erica as much as any other biological mother could. Erica, in turn, had always loved Lidia. Ever since she was eight when her father married her.

* * *

The drive felt longer. As if someone stretched the roads out and increased the amount of traffic and red lights. Maybe it was because she was antsy to get there, to get away from Forks. What had happened in history class wasn't forgotten; in fact her mind seemed to make it worse. Scenes of her standing up there for ten minutes and her being spotted looking at Jasper Hale ran through her head. She pictured herself even speaking to Jasper Hale about Jasper Whitlock, which unnerved her the most. The voice that spoke was like the one in her mind, blank with a lack of personality. It was weird to see her own small mouth moving along with the words. Honestly, even if it were possible, she didn't know if she wanted to speak.

She didn't want to hear that voice. She was sometimes glad she couldn't voice these thoughts.

"You alright Eri?" Lidia was looking back over the shoulder of her seat, her tiny voice barely startling Erica out of her thoughts.

Erica nodded her head looking away, not feeling the need to sign back a reply. She could see Lidia's small look of dejection from the corner of her eye. She knew her father would scold her later, then Lidia would wave it off and they would go get dinner like they always did on her first day of her stay with them.

"So, Erica, how was school?" It was her father's turn to make conversation. Lidia turned the radio down, positioning her body to look back again. She flashed Erica a white smile.

'_It was okay. I acted like a complete dork only once. But then again it's only the beginning of the year._' Lidia relayed everything that Erica signed to her father.

Lidia frowned in the way only she could, a downturn of her wide lips and barely any wrinkles marring her face. "I'm sure you weren't a dork."

Erica shook her head, lifting her arms up higher from her lap. '_I achieved definite dork-a-tude status.'_

Her stepmother gave her a small smile. "I was always thinking that back in school too. It's all in your head sweetie."

Lidia happily changed the subject after Erica shrugged. "How about boys? You find one yet?"

Erica always answered with a solid no, so why she did what she signed she didn't know why. '_Yeah... his name is... Jasper Whitlock.'_

She wanted to curse any female pride she carried. She wanted to slap the stupid urge she felt to impress her stepmother. But seeing the flash of happiness and girlish squeal from Lidia made her feel proud. She also felt an underlying pathetic feeling bubbling inside her stomach.

"A boy?!" Her father's protective and almost warning tone made her feel normal for once.

"Shush, honey," Lidia dismissed playfully, turning back to Erica. "So, Jasper, what's he like?"

Yeah, she felt normal.

'_He's tall.'_ That wasn't a lie. _'He doesn't even notice me._' Neither was that. _'He's handsome.'_ She wanted that to be a lie.

"He sounds perfect Erica!" Lidia's voice was maternal and excited, something that boosted Erica's proud and almost warm feeling.

She could see her father shake his bald head. "He sounds like a vague description."

Erica revelled in hearing her father dismiss her liking a boy, even if it was fake. Well, she did think Jasper _Whitlock_ was somewhat handsome. She blamed the uniform.

She could laugh at the expression Lidia gave, one that was mixed between lighthearted annoyance and amusement. "Your father just doesn't want this Jasper boy to steal you away. Now, tell me more about him."

So Erica did. She told them about the Jasper Whitlock she from the picture. The one she would adamantly refuse to admit borrowed a bit from Jasper Hale in her recalling.

* * *

**A/N: I meant to have this chapter waaay sooner than today. Apologies dear readers.**

**Sirius-Black-SFan: Thank you for telling me. My research was very basic concerning Erica, originally she was going to be deaf but I decided against that because I thought someone else had done that. Her mother does know sign language, I just made Erica a very lazy person. ^~^ I would give her one of the apps, it would be way easier for her to communicate, but her mother doesn't believe in them. Just like cars and such. :P Thank you so much for the reveiw! It really helped!**

**DontWaitUpForMe: I plan to embarrass her as much as I can. ;) I love the irony in her liking one Jasper but not so much for other Jasper. Hopefully this update doesn't let you down, I'm not used to many holding my writing up to such standards. :)**

**DesolateDreamer: I know what you mean, some Jasper/ Oc fics are a bit far fetched. Hopefully mine won't join that list. ^~^**

**Zeehana: Thank you so much! I really hope that I don't let ya'll down, I'm always worried I am with each, and soon to be, updates.**

**RebornRose1992: Thank you! (:**

**Don't forgot to review dearies, any opinions and such help. See you, figuratively, next time.**


	5. Chapter 5: Breakfast

***Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta: ****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

* * *

Chapter 5:

Awkward silences were something Erica couldn't stand. The dinner table, a three chaired, round black wood square table in the modern styled kitchen, had already been set before Erica had arrived. Lidia had planned on cooking, which Erica was informed on in a rushed voice, but the unexpected traffic increase for the weekend threw her schedule off. The three Morgan's were now eating takeout Italian on the expensive table. There was glass over three table legs, allowing Erica to see Lidia's patent heels and her father's leather business shoes, her own mud streaked yellow shoes paling in stark comparison. Her eyes were cast down on that almost reflective surface, barely making out her murky hazel eyes and the outline of her short hair.

Lidia cleared her throat, a small sound that gathered attention, and smiled widely with her red lips. "Well, this isn't exactly how I planned this."

The apples of her high cheekbones were tinted scarlet, showing beneath the thin foundation, while her eyebrows and eyes were crinkled with apprehension.

Erica smiled back, dropping the fork she rested against the tin package the food came in. '_It's okay Lidia. It has been three months since we last saw each other._'

Summer was her mother's time, weekends before and after was her father's time. Christmas break was her father's, except for the day before the holiday, and other small ones if school didn't interfere. Erica didn't mind the schedule, it meant she got to see both of her parents. Her mother used to complain about it, when Erica was younger, muttering under her breath about the "no good bald man," her father, however, never said anything negative about her mother. He usually didn't speak much. It was a trait Erica and her father shared. Erica liked to use her muteness as a reason not to have more than one friend. If it weren't for Amy's insistent personality Erica might not have any friends. She just wasn't bold enough to, figuratively, speak up.

Lidia gave a thin lipped smile, making Erica notice how smudged her lipstick was now. "I just wanted everything to go well." Lidia gestured around the clean kitchen and takeout boxes. "I just didn't do so well."

Erica felt for her stepmother, her own mother often got like this, and reached her hand out to rest on Lidia's tanner hand. Signing with one hand, she said. '_It's alright. I happen to like vegan Italian.'_

Erica didn't really like Italian takeout, especially vegan take out, but she reassured Lidia anyway. She didn't want to see the woman upset, it made her feel guilty. She wouldn't be so stressed if Erica hadn't had to come over on weekends. Nonetheless, Erica couldn't really change that. If she had to lie about what foods she liked, then so be it.

"But you hate this takeout restaurant." Lidia reminded her with a watery laugh, dabbing her eyes with a napkin.

Erica let out a sudden laugh, which was more of a wheeze, leaning over the table and narrowly avoiding dipping her hair into her juice. It wasn't that funny, but it made her laugh regardless. She moved her hands up to her mouth, muffling the sound, but she couldn't hide the snort she made. She didn't look up as she laughed since most people looked uncomfortable when she did. Amy was used to it due to their long lasting friendship, but even her father and Lidia had falters in their facial expressions when it happened.

'_Sorry.'_ She signed quickly, composing herself and taking a drink of her juice.

Lidia and her father exchanged looks between each other—good or bad Erica didn't know.

She didn't like it when they did things like that, or when people did that in general. They tended to do it after she'd signed, or in this case laughed. She quickly excused herself, her fingers forming the word tired. That wasn't much of a lie, she was tired of feeling different. She knew she was, she had come to terms with it, but it didn't lessen the blow of knowing she would never be the perfect daughter her family wanted.

It felt—no _was_ pathetic to feel that way. She was alive, functioning ninety-eight percent properly and had her family. She supposed she could only blame her self-hating feelings that stemmed from the whole day. She was just glad to call the day over.

* * *

Erica's room at her father's home was admittedly more personalized than her own at her mother's. Posters and quotes wallpapered her walls, something her mother was religiously against due to a coat of cheap paint. Her bed was also bigger, with her being able to roll around the bed without the looming threat of falling off, which she was privy to do in her twin sized bed. Trinkets from vacations with both parents were scattered on shelves and her dresser. She also had makeup that stained the finish of her dresser; something she was constantly being scolded for by her father.

Sometimes she even felt like it was more of a home than the one she grew up in. At her father's she had a mother and a father, one who taught her how to drive and the other who showed her how to do eyeliner. It was nice, and to say the least domestic. It reminded her of a television show, one with a working Dad, a stay-at-home housewife, and their perfect child. Erica liked the feeling that came along with those thoughts. Even if she did feel guilty, like she was betraying her Mother with that inner thinking.

But, she allowed herself to indulge in such thoughts, secretively loving that she was the only one allowed to hear them, allowed to have her selfish moments. She justified that it made her human.

So, with such thoughts still whirling in her mind, getting up from her warm blankets and getting dressed in clothing that wasn't as simple as her mother would have wanted nor was it economically friendly, was done with an absent mind. Before she faced the day, she liked to pretend she was just like any other girl, putting makeup on and a dress, loving the warmer temperature that Port Angeles was gracing her with, and sometimes when she was in a good mood she pretended she could talk. She loved nothing more than picturing herself holding a conversation with, well, anyone. Whether it was the homeless man that took residence a street away from the large apartment, or even the woman who hated Erica's short hair and said she looked like a boy. To be fair, Erica's mother did cut it shorter one time.

"You're in a good mood." Lidia commented with a cheery voice as Erica jumped off the last step with a loud sound, earning a disapproving glance from her father over the top of his weekend newspaper.

Erica, in reply, shrugged and smiled. "_Today is good. I can feel it in my bones._"

A snort from her father and a shake of his head was the only reply, as Lidia was turned back around to face the clean kitchen.

The kitchen was just as impressive as the rest of the building, with a modern style and black and white scheme. Erica, personally, was afraid to touch anything and chose to hover around the refrigerator.

Lidia spotted her stepdaughter shuffling on her toes before quipping, "I hope you don't expect it to bite you, you'll be a bit disappointed sweetie."

She felt her body snort before she realized it, something she must have inherited from her father. "_Ha-ha-ha, no._"

With a role of her eyes in a good and matured fashion, Lidia reached around her short figure and opened the fridge silently to bring out the milk. Dropping it in Erica's arms silently, she turned back to the food. Erica nodded in thanks, feeling silly for doing this each time she spent too many weeks away. From being in her humble home then transitioning to a high scale apartment with modern amenities, she was never too sure on how she should act around her father's home when he was getting new couches and appliances every few months. Erica never knew if she was allowed to sit there or open that.

With the milk in her hands, she slumped down into a hardwood chair that made her uneasy when it creaked. Lidia was humming a song to herself as she carried their breakfast toward them. The clear glass platter in her stepmother's hands displayed the eggs they were going to eat and her father's additional fruit that was cast off to the side. In its own bowl was egg substitute for Lidia. It seemed like Lidia had convinced her father to go on another diet. If Erica didn't know her father as well as she did, she would have believed he was sticking to it as well.

Readying her plate, Lidia sat down gracefully and leaned her perfectly done face in her hand.

"So, Erica, I feel like we didn't really get to talk last night." Lidia admitted with a soft sigh.

Erica shrugged, they really didn't. But she didn't have much to say.

Lidia must have seen the disinterest in Erica's face, as she prompted more. "What about that boy? Jake, Jose ...?"

Erica sighed at Lidia's hopeful tone. "_Jasper_."

"Yes! Let's talk about him. What grade is he in?" Her wide eyes crinkled at the end with blatant excitement.

"_Mine_." She hoped being as vague as possible would cause a change in subject. She didn't feel comfortable with talking about a solider that had been dead for a while.

Of course Lidia was never one to take a hint. "Well, I remember my senior year! Oh, the boys and parties ..."

Her voice faded away with her whimsical tone. Erica's father continued reading while absentmindedly picking at the fruit displayed in front of him. Erica wanted nothing more than to melt into her seat and disappear from sight.

"_Yeah, boys and parties." _Erica added sarcastically, "_Love those."_

She hoped her awkward feeling wasn't expressed on her face.

Lidia continued her gushing, "Do you have any good party stories, Eri?"

Her father looked up at that, "You better not, young lady."

"Hush dear," Lidia barely spared him a glance. "Tell me _all_ the details!"

Erica felt conflicted now. She had already lied enough—what with Jasper—but she didn't want to come off as an even more boring person to her stepmother.

She shook her head.

Lidia's face fell slightly, her eyes pityingly staring at Erica for a moment.

Erica didn't blame her, she would do the same if she was conversing with the pathetic mute girl with only one friend and a sort of made up boy.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the wait.. Thank you for any reviews between the last time I updated and now! If you feel like, please review. :)**

**Sorry, again, that this chapter was a bit randomish.**


	6. Chapter 6: Bad Luck

***Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta:SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

* * *

Chapter 6:

The weekend at her father's townhouse ended quickly, and Erica soon found herself home once more. It was late Sunday night, and Erica and her mother had just finished eating. The dinner of vegan lasagna required an awkward fill in on how she was treated at her father's. Erica didn't enjoy divulging in her mother's bad habits, but she felt bad for her sometimes. Her mother didn't really have anyone besides their dog Kirby and Erica herself, which is why Erica made sure to stress that she really missed her mother's company and cooking. She also inadvertently implied that Lidia may not have cooked each meal herself. It felt morally wrong, but the reassurance in her mother's eyes made up for the fleeting corruption she felt inside of her.

"_You finished with your plate sweetie_?" Her mother asked, watching as Erica stared at the printed ceramic dish. Erica smiled at her mother subconsciously using sign language. Her mother must have really missed her presence these last two days.

"_Yeah, I'll clear the table tonight." _Erica signed back, a small smile on her face.

The cold dishes were held between her elbow and palm, a focused look on her face as she walked a small distance to the kitchen sink. Her mother watched her briefly before she clicked off the dining table light and left the room. Erica didn't look up from her task, washing the two dishes quickly. Soon, she mimicked her mother's action and turned off the rest of the lights, making her way down the short hallway and into her room.

It was easy to identify yellow as Erica's favorite color. The duvet on her small bed was a happy sunflower yellow, white thread outlining squares as a pattern. She had two windows in her room, one in place of a headboard and the other along the wall her bed sat against. Each window had their own yellow curtains, always drawn no matter what time of day. Her walls were a plain white that the house came with when they bought it nine years before. Erica liked to cover the walls with her own art, the canvases sometimes haphazardly nailed onto the plaster. Beside her bed were her art supplies, fuelling her dreams with the inspiring yet toxic scent. In the other corner of her room was a yellow dog bed where a large Labrador named Kirby rested.

She liked her room, to say the least. She thought of it as a reflection of herself, if she had been a room and not a person.

Homework was something Erica, however, didn't like. Her favorite pastime being "how long can Erica put off weekend work." So far she could put off Friday homework until ten pm on Sunday night. She once completed all of her work before school began on Monday. She typically didn't feel like doing the weekend studies, instead choosing to spend most of her school season weekends at her father's. Erica wanted to take in as much time as she could with her father and stepmother, deciding that schoolwork could wait usually until the last minute.

Erica always regretted that moment of responsibility when she realized that she didn't actually have the capabilities to finish a weekend's worth of work in an hour.

* * *

"Well, I won't lie," Amy announced as she flounced into class. "You look like sh—"

"Miss Clear," Mr. Varner scolded, not sparing a glance at the girl.

In the classroom, used for twelfth grade pre-calculus, only three seats were being used. Erica and Amy used two of them towards the front of the room. In the very back one of the jocks sat tossing a basketball, occasionally dropping the sport's equipment with an annoying thump. Erica noticed how Mr. Varner approached the matter in a resigned way. She believed that was due to the jock having to repeat his senior year again—with the same classes.

"Sorry Mr. Varner." Amy said with a smile Erica knew read 'you both know I'll end up saying worse during this class.'

Erica looked at the other girl sharing the desk, "_I swear, if Kyle drops the ball again I'm going to scream."_

Amy gave her a sideways look, giving her an amused smirk. "_Erica, you're a mute."_

The two friends found that sign language was more effective than passing notes in class. Plus, it wasn't as cliché. Erica still used the old fashioned paper to communicate, but preferred signing anything that could be held against her, given the situation. Amy had learned sign language for the perk of being original, sometimes using it on others as well without second thought.

"_Well, technically that's true."_ Erica pointed out with rapid movement of her fingers. "_But I can still make some pretty weird noises."_

Amy's blue eyes crinkled as she snorted, "_That'd really freak him out, and you sound like a threatening pug._"

Erica rolled her eyes, dropping her hands as more students walked into the classroom.

* * *

Lunch could not have come sooner, Erica believed. The compact classrooms seemed to be absorbing the sun it missed throughout the year. And, with the sun intake, came an abundance of sweaty teenagers. Lunch, Erica knew, would not be as humid. The lunchroom was much more open and had the smell of food to mask any undesirable scents. Additionally, most seniors had their P.E classes before and after lunch. Meaning, any and most of the sweat had been washed off or will soon be gone. Erica and Amy had the after lunch class.

Amy, Erica saw across from her, was unaffected by the heat. The only indication of there even being any discomfort was the way her bangs started to stick to her forehead. She, on the other hand, could feel her yellow dress stick to the bottom of her knees each time she sat down.

"_It's killing me._" If Erica could speak, she would be whining.

Amy gave her a smile, one that reminded Erica of her times with Lidia. "You're just saying that because you don't want to run outside today."

Erica scoffed, a coughing sound that got stuck in her throat. "_I've done my time._"

Amy didn't reply, looking down at her hands. Or, more specifically, the small phone in her hands.

Erica rolled her eyes, eating the fruit she had brought from home. She kept glancing back up at her friend, which was difficult to do as her cropped hair kept bunching and falling in her eyes. The minutes ticked on and Amy kept clicking away on her phone. It was times like that that Erica wished she had her own phone. Her father and stepmother had insisted that Erica needed one, sometimes giving her one of their own when she walked her dog in Seattle. Her mother, however, was a different story. Erica sometimes believed she was worried that it would make Erica deaf as well.

Amy finally putting her phone down, looked back up.

"_Who was that?_" Erica questioned, "_Who made you all giggly._"

She waved her hand around at the word. Amy rolled her eyes, eating her own processed and squashed food.

"My mother, Eri." She deadpanned. "But if we're gonna talk about boys ..."

As she trailed off, she drifted her eyes towards a table. A table that typically held the Cullen family. Erica held up her hands, hoping to diminish the words Amy was about to say.

"... Why not talk about—" Erica's smothering hands silenced Amy. The other hand was signing.

"_No, no, no, no." _Removing her hand, she continued. "_No way in hell, Amy._"

"Don't you think you're being dramatic." Amy asked her, with a higher pitched amusement. "It's just boy talk."

Erica shook her head, her hair puffing up like a wet dog. "_It's not just any boy talk when it involves Jasper."_

Erica didn't understand the smug smile that Amy shot her with.

"I never said anything about Jasper."

* * *

Just as expected, it was hot. So hot that Erica could feel her own shoes melting—if she was dramatic enough. As expected, they were outside. Coach Clapp believed in utilizing this wonderful weather. Erica had almost suggested that the Coach was insane, only to be stopped by Amy's quick slap on her hand. The field they ran around was almost empty, the only person on it being the Coach. On the track around the field, in direct last place was Erica. Amy was only a foot ahead of her, saying she didn't want to be last or abandon her completely.

Erica wasn't good at sports. Growing up with a mother who believed that anything and everything could have caused her condition caused her to have a very lonely childhood. There had been no playing in the street or bike riding with friends under street lights. Instead there was only Kirby, her dog, and her mother's yoga classes. At her father's house, she was allowed to walk around the block, but no children lived around the modern complex. She would say she felt robbed of such things, but just like not knowing the feeling of her own voice—she didn't know the feeling of that aspect of childhood. The life she grew up with was enough to bring a nostalgic smile to her face.

Right now, however, that smile was wide open and in a frown. Heavy breaths of air expelled from her body as she ran with the floppy grace of an ostrich. Amy ran as if she was taking a happy stroll in a park, one of her own freewill. She was only grateful that the other seniors in her year looked just as miserable.

On top of her head was a ponytail that was not much different in style from one a small child wore in a bow instead of a hair tie. Her short hair was uneven on top of her head, only rising several inches above the hair tie. She could feel the ends flop around as she took heavy footsteps.

"C'mon Morgan—you're getting left behind!"

With a frantic look up from her feet, she saw that what the Coach said was true. The one foot of distance was now incredibly large. She would like to say that in a fit of motivation and teen spirit she suddenly found the hidden runner in her and overtook each student, placing first in the run. However, the only hypothetical award she took from the class was best fall over one's shoes.

Erica fell face forward generating a slight bang as her body came in contact with the ground.

* * *

"Are you sure that doesn't hurt?" Amy asked again, much to Erica's annoyance.

After tripping over her feet, sadly tearing the lace on her shoe, she landed on her shoulder. A small scrape marred the skin between her neck and shoulder, noticeable in the wide neck yellow dress she wore. It didn't hurt her in the slightest, in fact you would think that Amy had seen her get shot with the way she acted.

They were both standing in the halls, a few minutes left until it was time for history. The two had been sent out early from class, so Erica could refuse the princess band-aid the nurse insisted she needed. It wasn't much longer until she would be home and could varnish the themed gloried sticker. Almost like magic, as they were walking out of the nurse's office, Erica noticed the short-lived sun was gone. She almost laughed, tugging the feeling back inside of her. She almost wished she was the poor soul that had P.E as the last class and wouldn't be able to shower. Amy and Erica were both lucky enough to wash up in the nurse's office.

"_I'm fine._" Erica told her honestly.

The halls were almost soothing without anyone to clutter them. The air was cooler without excess people, although that may be due to the cloud coverage that came over Forks once more.

"You su—" Amy's words died out with the ringing bell.

Erica, hesitantly, pushed away from the cold locker she leaned against. She tossed Amy the colorful printed canvas and looped her arms around her own, as their bags were closer to her. Without any seconds to spare, students flooded out of the classrooms they had previously occupied. Erica saw, rather felt, them push past each other, eager to get their last class finished. Erica saw that even her kind-hearted friend was flustered and done with the day. The brunette used her shoulders to carve a path through the thick sea of people. No one bothered to touch Erica when they saw it was her. She sometimes felt as if they believed being mute was contagious.

Mr. Doyle's classroom was a quick few feet away, since Erica and Amy had stationed themselves nearby before class had begun. Erica was actually looking forward to this class, as they were receiving the grades from their start of the year project.

She felt her own amusement at the thought, in the back of her mind the name Jasper floated around. Truth be told, she didn't know which Jasper she thought of. When she thought about the project, she kept thinking about how much Jasper _Hale_ looked like Jasper _Whitlock_. She was almost bothered by the resemblance. Mainly, however, she felt like she needed to find the connection. Sure they could be distantly related, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"Ahem."

Erica looked up, standing in the doorway of the history classroom.

Mr. Doyle was looking at her, eyebrows raised up to his hairline, his hand pointing to her desk. Erica saw Amy smile sheepishly with a shrug of apology.

"_Sorry._" She signed out of habit, hearing Amy call out what she said to Mr. Doyle.

The apples of her cheeks felt warmed and with a shake of her head she covered her face. Once seated in her desk, she pulled out the notebook she used during class, the pencil tapping against the lined paper. Her pencil was already poised to write for the class.

"Well," Mr. Doyle began. "Since you decided to hold back the class Erica, you can deliver Mr. Hale's assignments to him."

As soon as his words were finished and his back was turned to write on the board, one word was written in her notebook. With the curiosity of a child, Amy leaned over to see what was written.

'_Crap_.'

* * *

**AN: I'm so sorry for the wait, I honestly though that I hadn't used up so much time in between.**

**x-shutter-bug-x: Sorry for the wait! As for Erica and Jasper, who knows what the next chapter holds for them.**

**SheikahLover: Thank you so much! Incredibly sorry that I'm a month late to post this! Thank you so much, this is so amazing to hear. I'm really freaked out about making her, for lack of a better term, a Mary Sue. I honestly can't wait till she and Jasper date, it's gonna be so much fun to write her parents reactions. You hit the nail with her parents in regards to her. Edward is probably gonna be her new best friend once they reach a level of trust between her and the Cullens. (sorry if that feels like a spoiler) :)**

**TaTa B-P: Thank you! Sorry this is random( and late) as well, but it's a build up to really set this plot in motion. :)**

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**Hopefully ya'll like the chapter, I'm gonna be writing the next one immediately after to lessen the chance of a late update. Also, I don't believe I've thanked ya'll that follow and favorite, thank you a million times for those! It's honestly breathtaking to see how many have hit follow and favorite.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Hello

*******Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta: ****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

* * *

Chapter 7:

It was a simple word. Two syllables, five letters, and two vowels.

Frankly, it was a word with enough power to render Erica stunned. Or maybe it was the way it was uttered. Either way, she was frozen in shock with the way it was said, unlike any other way she had heard it before. As she thought about deeply it, such as the way that they all spoke, had her frightened. Their tone possessed a quality Erica had never heard in her entire life. Erica knew she had no right to pass judgement, as she didn't even have a voice to announce her views and beliefs. Her belief was strong, forceful enough to convince her that the Cullens were wrong. And them speaking to her only solidified her opinion.

"Hello?"

That shocking word was repeated. Erica, strangely, felt the urge to shove the pale figure away and slam the expensive looking glass door shut with all her might.

* * *

"_This isn't fair._" Erica stressed, her fingers straining from the speed she signed at.

Sitting next to her, on the time worn dining chair pulled up to the computer, was Amy. The girl had clipped her dark bangs back with a bright purple elastic band, the shine of it reflected into Erica's eyes each time Amy turned away from the computer.

"Yeah, I'm not seeing that." Amy told her, swinging around a spoon. When she opened her mouth, Erica could see peanut butter stuck on her lower molars.

Erica shook her head, the tuffs of blonde hair narrowly missing Amy's projectile. "_Well, you're not the one who has to see the Cullen house later._"

There would have been silence in the air, while Erica signed, had Amy not been tapping away at the faded keyboard. Upon Erica's insistent pleas, they were going to pull up more information on Jasper Whitlock. Amy, though, didn't need much to sway her, her dear friend revealing that she wanted more information as well. However, Erica didn't let on that she found Amy's theories ridiculous. There was a certain limit to hearing how much Jasper could be reincarnated, or even more ridiculous: immortal.

"Well boo hoo, sorry you have to see several attractive teenagers in their most vulnerable state." The sarcasm was fatal; Erica might have felt the verbal blow more if Amy didn't speak with a muffled mouth full.

"_Ha ha, you're so—"_

Erica didn't have the chance to finish, her hands being slapped away. The silver spoon was covered in a sludgy mix of saliva and peanut butter, the paste ending up smeared on the back of Erica's hand, much to her annoyance.

"Shh!" Amy hissed, her hunched figure straining over so far that Erica couldn't even see the screen. Amy was so immersed into whatever was on the screen that she didn't move even when Erica rubbed her hand clean on the girl's purple shirt sleeve.

After a long minute of patiently waiting, Erica moved to get up. She wondered what gossip article had gathered her friend's attention. The long sharp scrape of wood against wood briefly filled the air, which surprisingly caught Amy's eye. With the sudden shift of her body, Erica was able to see the screen. In black and white grainy quality, was a picture of a soldier: A Confederate soldier. A soldier ranking as a major. A soldier named Jasper Whitlock.

Amy, Erica saw, had blown the picture up onto a word document page, pasting down a rough over look on him below it. What was written wasn't new to Erica, however the picture was.

"God, even his nose is the same." Amy sighed, dropping herself upright in her seat.

"_How do you even know that_?" Erica crinkled her own nose up, seating herself as well.

Amy scoffed in response. "Uh, how do you not?"

Not waiting for a reply, she suddenly squealed. "Look how cute it is!"

Amy, looking back with a wide smile and pinched eyes, noticed the flat look on Erica's face. "Right, right, I put together what you asked for."

Erica nodded in thanks, watching as Amy pushed a few keys. Soon enough, the printer lit up and a paper was spat out.

"_It's perfect, thanks." _Erica told her, skimming her eyes over the content.

Across the room, placed on top of her dining room, was a small pile of after schoolwork. With quick hands, Erica easily slipped the paper between the instructions for a lab report.

She didn't know what she expected exactly, only that it may give her answers.

* * *

Erica regretted asking Amy's mother for a ride. Dealing with Amy and her coos was bad enough, but coupled with her mother was terrifying.

"You know if I wasn't a married woman I would definitely—"

"Mom!" Amy's giggles covered up the rest of Mrs. Clears' statement, much to Erica's relief, which quickly dispersed as soon as Amy began speaking again.

"How illegal is it to get married at eighteen to a seventeen-year old?"

Erica wondered if slamming her head against the glass window would excuse her from both the conversation and the reason for the car ride to the Cullen house.

As they spoke, a growing fear developed in her. A deep pit that seemed to only be filled with panic. Her heart even seemed to ache with nerves.

With each passing tree, the pit in her became bigger and bigger.

"Alright, girls, we're here."

The home was impressive. The long drive way they took was framed with immaculately and casual landscaping, as was the surrounding grounds. Each tree and stone was done to blend in with Fork's own nature. The dark and orange toned wood was what framed level upon level of multiple glass walls. There were several visible decks and balcony points. The shine against the windows hid any prying eyes from seeing inside. Honestly, Erica was acutely stunned. Amy was worse; she was so impressed that she couldn't stop swooning to her mother.

"Let's go!" Amy jumped out of the van, pausing for Erica to gather Jasper Hale's schoolwork.

As Erica walked up the dirt driveway, she wondered if any other students had been by to deliver work. She would have thought that to be her own unique punishment, had she not seen a random junior driving in the opposite direction on their way through the private property.

As Erica walked up the steps, she kept chanting her hopes of no one being home in her mind. She knew Amy would complain at missing her only chance of speaking to them, but it would be a thousand times worth it.

Sadly, Erica knew that one needed to take their cars with them to go camping, as the Cullens often did. They must have come back home, much to Erica's disappointment, as she saw two cars parked perfectly right before the garage.

The front porch was just as amazing as the rest of the house. Several cement steps provided relief to Erica's canvas shoes, Erica embarrassingly almost stepping in the potted greenery built in the steps. She held back, walking even slower on the leveled ground leading to the door. Amy didn't share her sentiments, instead bursting forward and easily ringing the doorbell. Erica thought that the chime even sounded graceful.

Looking back, Amy flashed a wide smile, bouncing on her toes. Erica wished the ground would eat her up.

From her stare on the ground, Erica could barely hear voices drifting closer to the door. Curious enough, she didn't hear footsteps. However, almost instantly after her thought, several loud thumps of shoes against wood made their way closer to them.

"Oh my, I saw Edward!" Amy whispered back to her friend. The loudness startled her.

Shaking in her simple dress and shoes, Erica heard the door swing open quietly.

"Hello?"

Erica froze in her shoes, in front of her she could hear Amy do the same.

* * *

"Hello?" The female voice repeated.

Erica recovered faster than Amy, lifting her head up. The tall figure of Mrs. Cullen smiled, shifting her attention over to Erica. Pinching the paper between her fingers, she jabbed Amy in the back.

_"I'm here to give Jasper his work—homework._" Erica stumbled through her signing, something that hadn't happened since she first began signing all those years ago.

A crease developed between Mrs. Cullen's eyebrows, though it did nothing to mar her perfect face. Erica blushed, waiting for Amy to do her job.

"Oh!" Amy burst out suddenly , startling Erica. "She said she, well we, are here because we have Jasper's homework."

"_It wasn't exactly my choice. I might be mute, but I have things to do on Mondays. Like not being here._" Erica felt free enough to sign her thoughts, knowing that only Amy could translate. Erica maintained a small smile as she moved her hands, almost slipping up and laughing at Amy's jab.

"What did she say there?" Mrs. Cullen questioned her voice incomparable to anything Erica had ever heard.

Amy even blushed, "Just agreeing with what I said!" She spoke loudly, as if her verbal tone could cover up Erica's ramble of honest nerves.

Mrs. Cullen nodded slowly. "Alright, well, thank you."

When the woman smiled, Erica briefly wondered if she would consider adopting her as well. After all, a mute might help balance out the family of gorgeous people.

From behind Mrs. Cullen, a snort of laughter echoed within the large house. Erica almost wanted to know what caused someone's amusement.

She shook her thoughts away, handing Amy the papers. Amy happily passed the papers to Mrs. Cullen.

"_Well, bye."_

"She says have a great night!" Amy pulled on Erica, almost reluctantly leaving the porch.

Behind them, the door quietly shut. Erica couldn't hear the door shut; maybe the dead air was just that silent.

"I think that went well."

"... _Sure it did Amy."_

* * *

**A/N: No Jasper yet... _yet_.**

**No reviews at all for the last chapter either. :(**

**On another note, what do you think of Erica so far? Is she pessimistic, realistic, or optimistic? What's your opinion of the plot?**


	8. Chapter 8: Excitement

*******Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta: ****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

* * *

**A/N: I'm simply in awe at the amount of reviews from the last update. Thank you a thousand times!**

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Chapter 8:

_Cullen P.O.V:_

Edward Cullen was in his usual corner of the house: his room. From his position, casually leaned against his door, he could hear the mingled noises of the other occupants in their current home. Downstairs in the kitchen, his mother for-all intent purposes, was cleaning out a stain from the white carpet. One of his adopted siblings had managed to bring in blood on his shoes from their previous events. He wasn't sure yet if he should tell Esme that it was Emmett who had consciously decided to chance the risk.

Maybe he would later, but for now he was content listening to their routine.

Alongside his mother, his adopted sister Alice was planning another family trip out. The brief one they had all taken had not been favorable, as his family usually chose to spend and stay several days out. That had been the initial plan; however weather was something that easily slipped through Alice's abilities. When it was not something specifically planned, such as a storm, she could not guarantee the amount of hours they had. In this case, they only had a few as opposed to the days she had foretold hours before.

"Esme, it's more realistic if we leave …"

He let out a small laugh, tuning out her words in favor for another action.

With the day of excused leave from school, it wasn't considerably odd for several students to be sent to give them their homework. Usually, the school just waited until they came back to present them their items. Although, there was sometimes the odd students sent straight to their home. It wasn't a big issue; everyone liked knowing where the famous Cullen house was. Most of the time, it was used as a form of minor punishment for students who skipped class.

Only minutes ago had a peer just left. Even Edward didn't care to remember his name; the only lingering thought concerning him was the nervous thoughts that would have given Edward a headache, if possible.

"Ugh, I hate when they do this." His other sister, Rosalie, muttered. The door was shut with restrained annoyance.

He could hear her hands grip the doorknob, followed by the creak of metal starting to bend out of shape. His sister took labored breathes that were not needed before releasing the doorknob. Edward didn't doubt that the doorknob was soon going to be replaced with a newer, stronger one.

The interest was lost from that section of the house. His attention then shifted to the living room.

"You're the last one." Edward heard his sister Alice announce as she skipped past that room.

Edward didn't hear a reply, briefly glimpsing at his sister's mind to see his other brother Jasper ignore her.

"Who do you think will bring the stuff by?" She continued to pester him with a smile on her face.

Jasper finally answered. "Why does it matter so much?"

Edward was curious now, as his sister hummed to herself. He tried to see whatever vision she may have gotten, only to hear her recite the Bible backwards in German.

"I've been waiting for this to happen." She offered no more words, instead simply skipping away from the room.

Edward moved away from the wall, leaving his room. Before he could go downstairs and pry into what Alice knew, he heard a car pull up in their driveway.

It didn't take long for him to hone in on their thoughts. He found it to be two girls. One of them made loud steps as she hopped on the dirt, her thoughts briefly disturbing in how much they revolved around him and the legalities of marriage. The other was more interesting to hear, her thoughts were very quiet and jumbled. It almost hurt his head at how nervous and incoherent her mind was.

Edward began to go down the stairs, wanting to see a glimpse of them. He couldn't place a name or face to their minds.

"I'm just curious." He stated, at the question in his mother's mind.

As he stepped down the stairs, his foot froze with the quiet one's thoughts. She heard the volume of his voice close to the door, but not his footsteps. Resolving that quickly, he put pressure down as he finished stepping down onto the remaining step. Without bothering to hide his face, he walked past one of the endless windows.

He saw that it was two senior girls, both of which he had no classes together. They were, frankly, boring faces. The brunette was a cheerful girl that blended in with everyone else. The only stand out appearance wise for her was the dark freckles all over her face. Meanwhile her friend, with dull almost pure yellow blonde hair, didn't seem to have anything that set her apart from most humans. At least from what he could see in her downward position. In fact, he didn't even know she went to their school.

"Oh my, I saw Edward!" The brunette whispered to her friend. However, it was well heard in his family.

He was embarrassed, especially as her thoughts were loudly in his mind.

From his new position, Edward watched as his mother strode forward to answer the door.

Flipping her hair behind her squared shoulders, she smiled at the two teenagers. "Hello?"

Instantly, the two girls tensed up. He was relieved to hear the one's thoughts about him end.

The rest of his siblings shared amused looks when their mother repeated herself.

To Edward's surprise, the blonde one started speaking. Well, signing. He followed along with her thoughts.

_"I'm here to give Jasper his work—homework." _Edward listened as she mentally scolded herself for fumbling on her words.

Unsurprisingly, his mother didn't understand. For a moment he considered informing his mother, but he didn't want to chance the risk of the humans hearing.

"Oh!" The brunette yelled loudly. "She said she, well, we, are here because we have Jasper's homework."

She stood up on her toes, trying to see past his mother for a glimpse of him and his brothers.

He was amused to watch the blonde give a shy smile, bringing her fingers up again.

_"_It_ wasn't exactly my choice. I might be mute, but I have things to do on Mondays. Like not being here." _Her thoughts had a funny voice, she mentally spoke loudly for some words and almost too quiet for him to hear. He doubted she had ever spoken aloud before.

"What did she say there?" His mother asked, her thoughts picking up the words Monday from the girl's signing.

The brunette blushed brightly, falling on her feet and almost screaming. "Just agreeing with what I said."

Lies.

His mother nodded slowly, edging away from the door. "Alright, well, thank you."

After his mother smiled, the mute blonde's thoughts caught his attention once more.

_'I wonder if she would consider adopting me. A mute might balance out the family of gorgeous people.'_

Edward couldn't help the amused snort that left him. His siblings gave him a questioning glance, him mouthing a promise to tell them later.

The blonde girl was funny, if not awkward.

The observation was confirmed when she shoved the papers into her friend's arms, letting the loud one hand the work over to his mother.

"Well, bye." She signed and thought flatly.

Before his mother could say anything, the taller one pulled her friend away, and said , "She says have a great night!"

Once the door was shut completely, his mother turned and placed the work on the nearest table. Beside the paper were other stacks of work.

"She actually said," Edward began, relaying what the blonde had actually said. As expected, his mother didn't find the dry humor as funny as his siblings did.

Before he had the chance to speak again about her mentally, his sister started giggling.

"Oh, I'm just so excited about this bit." Alice confessed, grabbing the newest homework. She started sifting through the papers, much to their confusion, before pulling one out.

With another giggle, she pranced over to the couch. "Here ya go!"

Edward watched intently as Jasper tensed, the paper crumpling in his hands. His eyes were narrowed at nothing in particular.

Edward chose not to speak as the others surrounded him.

"What is it?"

"Wait, is that you? Nice hair."

"Was it that loud one? I swear I'm going to—"

"It was Erica." Edward interrupted, picking through Jasper's mind.

The room was thick with tension. Some of them feared being exposed, mingled with surprise and doubt. His family passed the paper around, seeing if she had left a hint of knowing something dangerous to them.

Unexpectedly, there was a quiet laugh.

"I've been waiting years for this to happen. "

It was Alice who spoke, sitting furthest away with her legs underneath her.

"She tells the greatest stories." She sighed wistfully, pulling back her black hair.

His mother spoke next. "But, she's mute, no ?"

Alice looked slightly shocked that she spoke. "Oops."

Crossing the room, Rosalie grabbed onto Alice's shoulder and shook her harshly . "Alice, what do you mean by that?"

She was met with a giggle, as Alice danced out of her grasp. Without looking back, she ran up the stairs.

Edward's family was in a mental uproar, not feeling bold enough to speak verbally yet.

What do we do next? Everyone seemed to think in unison.

* * *

_Erica P.O.V_

Erica was mortified, a complete mess of teenage hormones and hair. The floor beneath her feet hardly had it easy, with her feet pacing nonstop. Her worries had brought her to the point where each end of her hair was slightly damp, a combination of nervous sweat and spit from chewing on the ends. Her cheeks were in a permanent state of embarrassment, the hazy red blood warming her face and nose. She had long changed out of her day dress, bunching up the fabric of a worn white shirt in her hands. She was thankful no one was there to see her display. Even her dog had left her bedroom in favor of more stable company.

Maybe it wasn't going to be as bad as she assumed.

Now that she had given Jasper Hale his school work, including the slipped in article on Jasper Whitlock, fate was out of her hands. What she was afraid of most was being humiliated. After all, what sane person practically accuses another of being, well, exactly _what_ he was… was lost on her.

As she continued her pacing, narrowly avoiding her backpack dropped on the floor, she could hear a muffled pinging from outside her room. Dropping her concerns for a moment, Erica ran outside and into the hall. The pinging, a very familiar sound, was louder. Giving a brief glance under her mother's door, finding the lights to be off and a slight snore, she tiptoed her way down the hallway. One of her hands skimmed the wall, guiding her as she didn't dare to turn the lights on. Her feet sunk into the carpet with the direct weight on her toes. Once she cleared the hall, she fell back onto her flat foot. The thumping steps were muffled on the fabric of the floor. The noise, which was coming off the computer, was starting to become obnoxious. Luckily for her, the short keys on her computer were within an arm's reach. With a few clicks of plastic, the pining noise ended. On the seemingly off screen of her monitor, color jumped to life and she couldn't see her small smile in the reflection.

"Hey!"

Instead of Erica's own face, her best friend Amy Clear was shown. Amy was smiling widely, the even rows of her teeth blurring in her fast movement. Her bangs were no longer held back by a band. From what the camera allowed, Erica could still see Amy's pink sweater from several hours before.

"_Why are you on Skype?_"

Or, as Erica wanted to ask: why was she on Skype? She knew she would get in trouble for using the application. Her mother may be a firm believer that Erica shouldn't touch anything that could worsen her, but when she herself wanted to make personal and business calls it was fine. Erica's mother seemed to believe that Skype was a godsend, since the launch only the year before.

"I'm sort of freaking out." Amy told her, the screen freezing on a frame of Amy waving her hands up.

Erica glared at the computer, her nerves burning as she started typing. '_That's great. Now why am I included in this?_'

She took the moment to crack her sore fingers.

"Eri, I can still see you." Amy pointed out, well her voice did.

"Anyways," Amy continued, "you're predictable Erica, and I know you're freaking out as well. Probably more."

The little self control she had was gone, lost in a fit of keyboard buttons.

'_How can I not?! What kind of crazy person basically accuses another teenage of being ..._'

She left the rest blank as she hit 'send,' a small part of herself not wanting to accept that Jasper Hale was completely normal or abnormal.

"Abnormal?" Amy supplied, her face on the camera slowly moving with the bad connection.

'_He's just a teenager._' Erica didn't believe the words she typed. _ 'Right?' _

* * *

School was not something Erica looked forward to. The mute girl had taken as long as she could in getting dressed that morning. She took the time to pick off any loose threads on her white sweater. She placed her legs slowly in her jeans, then took them off to make sure she did it right. She even undid her laces twice on each foot to ensure that they were knotted properly. She actually brushed each section of her short hair, making sure it was clipped out of her eyes to waste a few more minutes. Erica had even begun to paint her short nails when her mother had declared it time for Erica to leave.

Erica had even decided to "forget" her bike that morning, even though it wasn't raining.

On the school steps, Erica was greeted by Amy. The taller girl was pulling at her ponytail, making her head look distorted.

"Good morning, don't turn around." Amy greeted, pulling Erica into the building.

Erica attempted to look back immediately, twisting her head around. She was thankful she had pulled her hair back. Across the parking lot, she saw several faces glaring towards her. Surprisingly, one of them was waving and smiling and another wasn't even looking at her.

"_Why are the Cullens glaring at me?"_ Erica signed with shaking fingers. Her stomach felt queasy and she wondered how much trouble she would get in for vomiting on school property.

Amy stopped pulling her, snapping back . "I said don't look!"

Erica shrugged off the two additional hands she didn't need as they moved to pull her again.

"_Amy!_" Erica gave her a pleading look. "_What are the chances of me getting killed in a back alley?_"

Amy snorted, "Please, you're more likely to get killed in a forest."

Amy sobered up after receiving a small shove. "They've been doing it to me for the past twenty minutes."

She looked defeated. "Well, Alice asked where you were, which was weird. Sure you didn't slip in a picture of her when I wasn't looking?"

Erica didn't find it as amusing as Amy did, giving her a glare.

"At least they got it?" Amy tried, looking back without any subtly. "Oh yeah, they got it. Let's keep going."

"_What?_"

Erica looked back herself, seeing that the Cullens were closer than before. She didn't need Amy to pull her this time.

* * *

**A/N: I'm seriously amazed at the amount of y'all who reviewed. It might not seem like a lot to others, but I'm seriously overwhelmed.**

**SheikahLover: Hopefully the last chapter met your expectations, I hope Erica and Amy going to the house wasn't underwhelming. :)**

**SheikahLover: I'm actually really thankful for the review. I must admit, I wrote this story on an Ipod and the amount of mistakes are startling. I'm constantly asking for reviews like that because they honestly help me. The review was honestly amazing. I've made the corrections on the first chapter and I'll be correcting the others starting next week. I'm really relieved that her character is well-rounded as you say. Thank you so much! :)**

**RaeRae93: Thank you! Hopefully the relay wasn't lackluster. Your review actually inspired Edwards's point of view.**

**Shilara: Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Lumina The Wolf: I seriously can't wait to write up Edward and Erica being friends. I'm glad you find Erica hysterical and realistic, I was terrified no one would like my bad attempts at her humor.**

**Readingfairy: Thank you! I'm glad you like Erica! :)**

**Debbie Hicks: Not going to lie, I have no idea what the review is… Starfleet? Helen Keller? Telepathic choir?**

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**Side note, does anyone seem to notice that the "Debbie Hicks" guest reviews are all over the Twilight story reviews? And that it's a large "chapter" of confusion. Maybe it's my system that reads her reviews as gibberish and I'm being completely offensive? The review contains things like "Amy" and "Erica" and says her parents live in different places… Maybe it's a glitch on my side? Does anyone else see it in the review section?**

**Anyways…**

**Thoughts on the chapter? Thoughts on what's to come?**


	9. Chapter 9: Speak no Lies

*******Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta: ****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

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Chapter 9:

"Erica stop, you're giving me a rash!" Amy hissed under her breath, pushing at the girl next to her.

Both girls were hiding in the nearest room Erica had pulled them into: the bathroom. In a typical high school fashion, it seemed like Forks High was no exception. There were bits of toilet paper sticking to the damp parts of the floor, where there were puddles forming from the hole in the screen after a late night downpour . The room smelled like a damp locker with a hint of the smell of teenage hormones and mildew. The row of mirrors above the three sinks were smudged, one of them had the declared love for a relationship that only lasted a week back in freshman year carved into the glass. The doors to the stalls looked clean from the outside, the dull gray plastic having no mars, until you looked inside the stall and found an abundance of pencil and pen written words.

Amy and Erica could be found in the largest stall, which was a regular sized stall with an additional third amount of space due to an error in construction. The only window was located in that stall, making it the coldest and dampest. The toilet, however, was the cleanest, which allowed them to feel as sanitary as they could.

As soon as Erica had caught sight of the Cullen family moving, she had grasped tightly onto Amy's arm, dragging her into the room. The tight and slightly sweaty grasp Erica had did not mix well with her short nails digging into Amy's freckled skin.

"_Sorry …_" Erica trailed off, distracted.

She heard Amy sigh.

For the first time ever , Erica felt true fear of consequence surge through her veins . She wished she could simply laugh it off, or in her case, wheeze it off. But, judging by their the reaction to the paper, she had dug herself into a pit. One that ran a hundred feet deep into the ground and had lava and spikes decorating it's outside and interior . There was no overreacting on her part, like there had been the night before. Whatever it was that was hiding in Forks, it was massive with a capital M .

"Listen," Amy tugged at Erica's clip. "It can't be that bad. Maybe they're sick or something, and it makes them cranky."

Erica looked up at her friend, "_You know that's not the case …_"

Before Amy could reply, the bell rang. The shrill bleats caused both girls to jump and grasp onto each other's arms. Eyes wide, they stared at each other in blatant fright.

Amy was the first to break the tense silence. "Look, I'll see you in our next class. I'm going first in case any of them are out there."

Slowly, Amy bent down to retrieve her colorful backpack. Erica simply watched, hiding her shaking hands underneath the long sleeves of her sweater.

"Good luck," Amy told her with a frown too serious for her typically cheerful face.

Erica nodded in return, not chancing using the only voice she had in fear of fumbling her words.

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She was lucky to have four of her classes with Amy, her friend providing enough courage to not run away to the nurse's office and beg for her mother to come pick her up early . Though the urge was still in her, buried deep inside her mind and back of her heart . She wasn't going to lie; she could let out fairly realistic coughs if needed.

Almost as if Amy knew what she was thinking, the blue-eyed girl shot her eyes across the room.

Erica pretended not to see her, instead choosing to focus on the paper on the desk.

The two had decided to sit on opposite sides of the art room, an idea inspired by too many spy movies at Amy's house on late weekend nights . Erica doubted they would be able to do the overdone fight scenes like in the movies should anything happen.

She felt silly, underneath all the nerves, for taking such precautions. There wasn't even the slightest chance of the Cullens finding her. Well… until history class. That unfortunately was the next and last period. During lunch, Amy and Erica had planned to get to Amy's mother's car as fast as they could to avoid the Cullen family .

Erica didn't tell Amy, but she doubted the plan would work. She saw the look of determination on the Cullens' faces that morning and knew they would be trying their hardest to talk to both of them .

Staring down at her canvas, she couldn't bring herself to do anything with the supplies she had displayed beside it. Her fingers didn't twitch to grasp the familiar feeling of wooden paintbrushes and her mind was as blank as the paper. Sneaking up a glance between her blonde hair, she could see Amy was having the same trouble.

When the bell finally rang, Erica struggled to believe the class was over that fast. She couldn't believe how rapid her heart was about to plummet into the depths of her fear.

To get her out of the classroom, Amy had to tug roughly on her upper arm; even going as far as pulling her out of her seat to gather her attention.

"_Sorry," _Erica signed the equivalent of a mutter, her inner worries dazing her.

The crowded halls of her school didn't faze her as it usually did. Rather than feeling annoyance, Erica was thankful for the hindrance it provided her to reach her history class. She even purposely walked in the most crowded halls instead of taking the shortcut through the lunch room. Amy had been annoyed, she could tell that much, when Erica pulled them through the double doors and entered class mere minutes before it started .

In her final class of the day, the scent of gasoline and exhaust from the parking lot gave her a new despair. Instead of a headache with traces of excitement, she felt a foreboding sink of despair in her body. She felt exhausted.

As she expected, _he_ was there.

The moment she entered the room, her eyes drifted across and to the back of the small class. He was staring directly at her with an unwavering intense gaze. Erica didn't know if it was the gold hue to his eyes, or the frown on his mouth, that kept her staring back. He looked as if he knew more than she did, despite the fact that she was the one who gave him the paper. She was the one who previously assumed advantage, but now she felt extremely vulnerable and scared .

"Erica," Amy muttered, pulling at her arm. She barely noticed her feet moving along with Amy's, as she was trying to maintain her gawk.

She then looked away.

As class went on, she could feel his concentrated glare on her back . The feeling made the hairs on her skin stand up. She tried to ignore it, trying to pass off the feeling for paranoia. However, halfway through the class, she looked back. Without even attempting to be discreet, she found he was still staring at her. Erica doubted he had ever looked away.

"_Is that their tactic, glare at me until I break? If so, it's working!" _she scribbled it down in her notebook, sliding the pages over to Amy.

Oblivious, Amy whipped her head back. In the process, she also smacked Erica in the eye with her ponytail. Turning her head back, Amy whispered with eyes so wide Erica almost felt amused.

"Any other day and I'd be excited one of them is looking at me." Amy looked back again. "Hell, I'm still thrilled."

Her remark helped Erica slightly, making some of the coiled fear inside her stomach dissipate. But her shoulders still remained tense, as if her body was waiting to run away. When she pulled her fingers from her lap, she found they still shook with her anxiety.

Erica looked back down and started to write in her messy scrawl. "_Yeah, well you guys can figure out date night later. What are we going to do in—" _She stopped writing to look up at the clock. "—_fifteen minutes?_"

Amy pulled at her ponytail as she read Erica's words. "Pray to every existing religious figure?"

"_Somehow, I doubt that'll work._" Erica wrote back. "_Your mom is still picking us up, right?"_

Erica studied her friend, inspecting as Amy tensed.

"About that …" Amy whispered, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth.

Erica motioned for her to continue. She paused briefly in her scrutiny to pretend to take notes before their teacher caught on.

With a long exhale, she did so. "My mom texted me during lunch, her book club got rescheduled for today. It end's an hour after school's over."

Any relief Erica felt momentarily was gone. Crushed away and burnt up in the metaphorical fire that the Cullens wanted to toss her in.

"_What are we going to do then?"_

Amy perked up somewhat. "My mom called yours; she said Heather is going to make snacks."

"_Well, at least I have that thought to ease my soul before I'm brutally killed._" Erica scribbled, her mouth set into a grimace. "_They say vegan pinwheels have that affect, even in mortal danger."_

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm." Amy glared.

Before Erica could retort, her hands raised up to sign, a cough interrupted her.

"Miss Morgan, do you want to tell me how long the Nuremberg Trial lasted?"

"_Well, to be frank I have no clue." _She signed with a sure closed smile on her face.

She saw Mr. Doyle's brow furrow, a tight nervous smile forming on his face.

"Do you happen to know what she said?" He turned to Amy this time.

Instead of Amy replying, it was a quiet male's voice from the back of the room.

"She said that the trials lasted almost a year, from nineteen forty-five to nineteen forty-six."

Without hiding the shock on her face, she turned her head back fast enough to hear a pop. Jasper wasn't looking at her this time, instead he was looking at their teacher, almost smiling while doing so. Eyeing Amy, she found that her friend looked ready to swoon by simply being able to hear Jasper speak. Erica inwardly rolled her eyes.

Mr. Doyle nodded, as if he knew that was what she said the whole time. Once he turned back around, Jasper returned his stare back to her.

"_I thought they didn't understand sign language. His mom didn't." _Erica furiously wrote, glancing back at Jasper as quick as she could.

"Maybe only he knows?" Amy suggested with a shrug. "We can't know for sure."

"Maybe his past life as Jasper Whitlock knew how to sign!" Amy squealed too loudly to be a whisper between two people.

Erica ignored her, watching Jasper Hale's reaction. As she expected, he didn't slip up. At least voluntarily, almost adjusted to his stare, she could see his eyes widen by the slightest amount.

Before she could report to Amy though , the bell rang. Startled, Erica stood up on her quaking legs. Amy didn't look as panicked, easily slipping her backpack onto her shoulders. Erica didn't have the same luck, fumbling the straps in her hands. Ultimately, she dropped the canvas school bag on the cheap standard carpet. Before she could retrieve it, hands paler than her sun deprived skin grasped onto the fabric.

Amy was rooted to the ground, half a smile on her face and fear in her larger than normal blue eyes.

A hand was placed on her back, preventing her from taking her school bag back. Even with her thick sweater, she could feel an unnatural cold from his hand.

"Keep walking." He spoke so quietly that Erica almost didn't catch it. Amy obviously did, walking before them.

With the backpack in his arms as well, no one could see she was being led out of the room. Erica wished they did, though she doubted anyone would say something. The Cullens were strange; finding one of them potentially abducting two girls wouldn't be that odd.

"Where are we going?" Amy asked, smiling brightly.

Erica didn't find her amusement.

Jasper didn't answer her, only raising his eyebrow.

"_I think she was dropped on her head several times as a child." _Erica offered, as both a test for his knowledge of sign language and whether he would speak or not.

Amy, as Erica hoped, caught on, keeping her mouth closed but chose to mildly glare at Erica when she thought Jasper wasn't looking.

Jasper had looked down at her hands, Erica saw from her awkwardly bent neck. The way he shifted his eyes from one hand to the other told her enough. He had understood her.

Surprisingly, the hollow feeling that had grown in her stomach was almost gone. She thought it would be worse, now that they were finally going to confront her. The feeling had been almost suffocating when he had grabbed her backpack, now it wasn't even comparable to average nerves she could get anytime. She didn't know if her body found false comfort in being confronted with Amy, or if she'd run out of nerves to use.

As expected, he continued to lead them towards the double doors used to enter and exit the school. Erica continued her stride, expecting to walk out of them. Instead, he veered her to the right. Amy looked as confused as her, standing to the side of them. Briefly, Jasper let go of Erica. Together, the girls watched him open the Spanish classroom door. Without gesturing from his part, the two walked into the room.

What they saw was predictable; the four other Cullen siblings were seated in the classroom. Well, technically only two were seated. Rosalie and Emmett were standing.

Jasper handed Erica her school bag back, or more he dropped it on the ground and she picked it back up. She had barely noticed Alice stand up and lock the door.

"Sorry." She whispered to Erica, and her face looked truly apologetic. She remained standing next to Erica.

Amy was quick to get comfortable, seating herself next to Edward. Erica could have laughed at the blatant distaste on his face. It made him look as if he thought Amy was a stalker who had cornered him, instead of it being the actual other way around – minus the stalker part.

"You're not far off." Edward said abruptly, looking up to stare directly in her eyes.

There was obvious shock on her face, the look broken into fear when Rosalie groaned.

"What the hell are you doing Edward?" She hissed with the world's supply of malice. Though her words were directed at Edward, she glared at Erica the whole time.

"_You and your brother really have this glare thing figured out." _Erica couldn't help but sign off with her hands.

Alice let out a small chortle. The Hale twins gave her an accusing glare.

"Sorry, you'll have to blame Edward's doing on me." Alice told her siblings, ignoring the two unrelated girls. "I wanted to speed this bit up; if not its going to drag on for a while. "

Rosalie moved forward, only to be held back by Emmett.

Alice quickly defended herself. "Look, she needs to know this."

"No she doesn't." Jasper was the one to speak.

Erica watched the transaction with rapt interest, whipping her head to each direction.

"Funny _you _say that." Alice snorted, gracefully Erica should add. Shen then held onto her temples with her left index finger and thumb. "Look, it doesn't matter if she started to tell you what she theorizes, we do tell her something in the end."

"Then let her speak." Rosalie spoke slowly, almost daring Erica to sign.

"_Technically I can't speak. I'm mute. I can, however, sign." _Erica raised her eyebrow, siphoning the confidence from Alice.

Rosalie's glare became more intense, her eyes forming small slits. "What did she say?!"

"She'd be glad to speak!" Amy burst out with, tapping her hands nervously on the desk.

The others that could understand her didn't say anything against the false statement.

With a shaky sigh, Erica moved to the white board in the room. She uncapped a green marker, testing and finding that it was dry. Moving on to a blue one, hearing an impatient sigh behind her, she quickly wrote. She tried to be as neat as she could; only coming up with a half as messy writing.

"_During the back to school paper, the one I was supposed to do with Jasper, I found a site dedicated to soldiers who served during the Civil War. Amongst them, was Major Jasper Whitlock. Obviously there was an old picture_ _presenting a soldier identical to the current high school student Jasper Hale. This had gotten us curious – by us I mean Amy and I. We attempted to find other Jaspers, but the most we came up with was a MySpace post about a student named Jasper Cullen from Alaska. By the way, Carrie Mathews still has a crush on you, I mean _him_. Then we gathered up a rough bit of information of Jasper Whitlock and slipped it into your homework."_

The room was silent for a total of three minutes as the Cullens read her message . Alice however didn't do the same, instead simply pulling at Erica's sleeve and readjusting her hair clip. She had tried to shy away, almost pushing the girl several inches shorter, until simply letting her. It was easier to drown in her returned nerves, than pushing a very strong Alice Cullen away.

_"_Okay, but what do you know?" Rosalie ground out.

"_That none of you are human. There is no possible way you are, as much as I want to believe you are._"

Amy relayed back what she had signed, word for word this time.

Their reactions were varied. Alice didn't look surprised, smiling with the revelation. Rosalie hissed. Jasper narrowed his eyes in contemplation. Edward looked mildly bored and tense. Emmett alternated between watching his family and glaring at the two girls.

Amy looked giddy, reaching up towards Edward and dropping her hands before they could touch him.

"_Can I add that the hissing pageant queen isn't helping things?" _Erica felt comfortable in sharing her feelings.

"Yeah, she was a big clue into the whole nonhuman thing." Alice added in reply, confirming they weren't human.

Erica didn't want to hear anymore. It was one thing to theorize someone not being human; it was another to have the truth told.

"What did she say?" Rosalie was officially over the anger scale.

They ignored her, everyone in the room looking at Jasper as he interrupted.

"Now we see if you can be trusted. I wonder what would happen if you two can't." Jasper mused, sounding sure of what would happen to them if they proved untrustworthy.

Erica was sure she didn't want to hear or know what they would do to them if it turned out to go that way.

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**A/N: Does this meet expectations, surpass, or was it a total fail in confrontation?**

**Also, in big news, I broke over hundred follows on the story. I'm simply amazed at that. Thank you so much y'all.**

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**Readingfairy: Haha, then I've achieved what I hope to as a writer! :D**

**MeggieBlack: Thank you so much! It's a big compliment to hear props given to my writing style! :) Concerning Erica and Jasper's relationship, they are definitely going to have a slow(hopefully not so much that it bores people) development to them.**

**SheikahLover (for your first review): I love that you were that excited for a chapter! Haha it's amazing to hear! Hopefully you liked the meet up with Erica, Amy, and the Cullen's. As for Jasper and his sign language, that might have been answered in this chapter. If not fully, then it'll be directly written in the next. Thank you so much for writing some corrections for me, I updated the chapter accordingly. It's something I'm really grateful for, that you would take the time to write these out for me. I definitely don't mind them as long as you don't mind writing them out. :)**

**SheikahLover (for your second review): Thank you! I was worried people wouldn't agree/ like the character pictures for them, so I'm absolutely elated you like both Amy and Erica. I'm really happy you found them funny, when I'm writing it's difficult to tell if I'm( or rather Erica is) funny or cheesy. Hopefully you've enjoyed the ever so slight contact between Erica and Jasper. I can promise (maybe this is a spoiler, I'm not sure) that I will be developing a bond almost between the two through a series of chapters.**

**glowgreen4me: Thank you! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter with both Erica and Jasper. There will definitely be more of them in the next chapter.**

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**Now, what do you guys think about the beginning of Jasper and Erica… hmm Jarica?**

**Okay, forget my bad attempt at a ship name.**

**More importantly, who enjoyed that chapter title?**


	10. Chapter 10: Untraceable

*******Update Note**

**This chapter has been fixed by the most amazing beta: ****SheikahLover**

**A gigantic thank you to her, by the way. The changes have made a world of difference. Seriously, I cannot express how grateful I am for the changes. ***

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**Thank you for the lovely reviews, hitting follow/ favorite, and just reading my story. Just this week I've gotten almost three thousand views on the chapters. It's breathtaking to see how many of y'all read my stuff.**

**Hopefully you made it this far to read this note because I've got a story changing question/ idea/ proposal/ thing. How would y'all react to Amy and Edward getting together, or just harmless flirting before Bella comes into the story. I've set the story four/five months before Bella arrives. Do you still want Bella and Edward to be canon? Or do you want something completely different, like Edward and Alice dating the whole time? Alice doesn't have her mate yet in the story, so anything is open right now. I'm just going to repost this at the bottom to make sure y'all read it.**

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Chapter 10:

Any belief that Amy and her mother were the worst to ride in a car with was gone from Erica's mind in a matter of minutes. Why? Simple. Because being in a car with several of the Cullen family members was a thousand times worse. Instead of a middle age woman making remarks about her daughter's schoolmates driving the car, there was a silent and threatening teenager that kept her eyes glaring at Erica more than they were on the road. Usually in car rides with Amy, Amy would sit up front with her mother or to Erica's immediate left. This time Amy was sitting to the left; only with a strangely happy teenager that had choppy hair between them. In the front of the vehicle, sitting next to his twin, was Jasper. His glare was more unnerving than Rosalie's; his eyes seemed to know more about Erica than she did.

It felt like each moment she moved, even if it was to turn her head towards the window or scratch her head with her hand , they all looked at her. Even Amy, which Erica didn't really understand. Alice seemed to be the only one comfortable in the car. She would speak to her siblings or try to strike conversation with Erica.

"_Now, what happens later isn't going to be the most enjoyable._" Alice told her, but she wasn't that apologetic. If anything, she looked way too excited.

Erica didn't know how things could get worse. Everything she knew about life was wrong. It sounded like a melodramatic statement, but it was true. The week before she merely assumed that there was a resemblance between Jasper Whitlock and Jasper Hale, the days that followed afterward had her convinced that something else had a play in that, and today it was confirmed that the Cullens are not human. She just didn't know what they were exactly.

They all had yellow— but others would say golden—eyes. Their skin was extremely pale, going far beyond sun starved. From what she felt, with the brief contact between her and Jasper, they were cold. She knew the temperature that lack of circulation had; her mother and she both had poor circulation that left them with cold and numb fingers. Jasper, and assumedly the rest of his family , had a body temperature akin to the new freezer her step-mother bought. Erica was pretty sure that Jasper was even colder. She felt silly for her next observation: their inhumanly beauty. The entire family had an almost eerie and dangerous appearance , that left her feeling both awed and fearful.

Their good looks had been questionable, especially when they moved to town years before. While Erica had been an awkward sophomore, still with long frizzy hair and a retainer for her slightly too narrow palate, the Cullens still had their same height, hair length, and looks. She didn't think it was biologically possible to remain completely the same. Other students had questioned it at first, but then no one simply cared if there was something wrong with the Cullens. To the rest of the student body, the Cullens were an entirely different entity; one that wasn't meant to be questioned or investigated.

Now she was going to get answers to her questions , and frankly she wasn't sure if she wanted the truth.

As they drove on , she tried to look at the passing sights. Once they left the school, she could watch the several suburban streets they drove by. She had never noticed just how many white painted houses Forks had until now. It was almost obnoxiously dull, blending in with the overcast cloud coverage. It wasn't too long until they were getting closer to the city limit. By then, there were only trees surrounding the secluded road.

The car ride was ridiculously fast. While it had taken Mrs. Clear fifteen minutes to navigate from the Morgan house to the Cullen Manor, Rosalie only needed five minutes. It would have taken any normal person twenty minutes. But, normal people don't exceed the speed limit by one hundred miles per hour.

Rosalie was out of the car before Erica even noticed she had turned it off. It was the slam of the driver's seat door that alerted her. Jasper had gotten out of the car like any other person would. Getting out of the car had spiked her nerves. Amy had gotten out of the car with ease, Alice sliding after her. Before Erica could even move to exit the car, she heard an unsurprising hiss of impatience. The urge to childishly take as much time as she could to leave the car hit her, but she valued her life too much to do so.

She raised her hands to sign, wanting to ask what they were going to do. But before her fingers could form the first word, Amy tugged on her upper arm dragging her out of the car. Erica allowed her friend to lead her up into the house. Before stepping on the front porch, she turned her head back to the dirt path up to the house. She didn't see Edward's car in the driveway, only a smear of tire tracks leading to the paved and sloped driveway. Erica didn't get the chance to think about it much once Amy pulled her into the large building. Once they had walked through the doorway attached to clear glass walls, there was a wall separating the small area from the house. Only yesterday had Erica stood on the other side of the glass door. Now that she could see inside the house, she noticed that the ceilings had a tint of dark orange to them, which matched the framed door and wall. On the other side of the brief wall was a large living room. There was a large portion of white carpet in the middle of the wooden floors. On top of the carpet were gray, almost green, sofas. One whole side of the room was made up of glass. When she was walking into the room, she caught a small glimpse of the black countertops in the kitchen.

She wanted to continue examining the manor, only to be stopped when Amy pulled her into a seated position. What caused Erica to clam up were Dr. Cullen and his wife sitting directly opposite Erica and Amy. They weren't as threatening as their adopted children. The last time Erica had seen Mrs. Cullen, she was smiling with polite interest. Now she looked ready for a funeral, while staring grimly at them. Dr. Cullen simply studied them, his expression unreadable.

The others were scattered about the room. Alice stood behind the sofa where Amy and Erica sat in. Rosalie decided to stand next to her adopted mother, with Emmett holding her from behind. Edward leaned against the wall separating the living room and the front door, watching everyone's interactions in silence. Jasper stood near the entrance of the room, intently staring at the wall across from him.

For a few minutes, there was only silence and unnerving stares.

Until Erica tried to break it, which didn't turn out so well seeing as though she was signing and not speaking one word.

"_I suppose you all want to ask us some things?" _There was an urge to be snarky, but that right was taken from her when Jasper and Alice revealed they understood signing. That combined with Edward's strange way of answering her thoughts as well.

Dr. Cullen looked over to his eldest adopted son, Jasper. He relayed what she said to the other four in the room that didn't know what she said.

"Yes," Dr. Cullen confirmed what she knew. "To be honest we aren't quite sure how to proceed."

"I say we kill them." Rosalie sneered. She started to growl, but was cut off by a stern look from Mrs. Cullen.

"We're not killing anyone Rosalie." She was severe in her tone, not looking away until Rosalie did first. "We simply want to understand how you both figured this out." She was speaking to Erica this time.

Erica had moved her hands up to sign, only to find that Amy was holding her right hand. Unable to successfully sign one handed, she started thinking.

'_You guys aren't completely untraceable. There were no big documents, aside from the Jasper Whitlock information on the solider website. But, there were some minor ones. Several people posting about their high school crushes, or old university crushes, for example. There was even a picture, blurry but still somewhat definable, of Dr. Cullen several years ago; twenty-five years to be exact._'

Erica had done her searching the night she and Amy printed out the information on Jasper Whitlock. Amy had cemented her reincarnated theory with the information they acquired.

As she expected, but no less startled by, Edward repeated her thoughts word for word. It was frightening to know he could do that, leaving Erica to feel stripped of her own skin. Overruling that feeling though was excitement, and a thrill with the idea that he could actually hear her voice.

"That shouldn't have happened." Jasper spoke first, pacing back and forth in the room. "I have people hired to delete any of those traces."

'_Like I said, there were no big documents, only little stuff. I doubt your people went on MySpace, it was only created last year.'_

It was slightly amusing to hear Edward say MySpace.

Jasper didn't acknowledge her, still wandering the floor instead.

Next to Erica, Amy still squeezed her hand. The brunette girl was bouncing one of her knees, tapping her fingers on the kneecap. It seemed to be the only noise, as the Cullens didn't make any sounds of breathing, shifting, or even stepping as they walked across the elegant hardwood floors.

"It's because of what we are." Edward answered for her observation.

Prying her hand away, she signed. "_And what is _that _exactly?"_

Jasper stopped his pacing, facing her. "You mean, you have no clue other than we've lived for a long time?"

"_Well, I didn't even know that until you confirmed it just now. "_

It seemed Rosalie didn't need to understand sign language to follow along.

"Alice, Edward, why the hell did you two let her know so much and come here then?" Rosalie being quiet was scarier than her yelling, Erica then decided.

"Because she needed to know," Alice stated from behind, starting Erica.

Rosalie shifted her eyes to Amy. "Then why is _she_ here?"

"Erica wouldn't have come without Amy." Alice replied, touching Erica's shoulder. "She had severe attachment issues."

Erica was affronted. "_I can be perfectly unattached when I need to be._"

Alice wasn't convinced. "Your heartbeat says otherwise."

Erica's hands reached up to her heart, looking confused.

"It rises when you lie. Its basic information Eri," Amy said as if it should have been obvious.

Erica overlooked the remark with a frown. "_Why don't you just tell us everything we want to know?_'

"Normally I'd vote for that one, but you can't know."

The rest of the people in the room looked over at Alice. "We can't tell her anything else, not until we have determined that she can be trusted." She said simply.

"What about me? Don't I get to know?" Amy questioned loudly, waving her hands around, hoping to capture their attention.

" No. Sorry." Alice didn't look remorseful in the slightest.

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**A/N: Alice definitely ships *insert couple name for Erica and Jasper***

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**glowgreen4me: Thank you! Their relationship, or soon to be relationship, will have a long development.**

**SheikahLover: Thank you! I was worried that they would be out of character, so that's reassuring. As for Jasper knowing sign language, I was going to add that bit in this chapter, but I want to wait until Erica and he actually speak one on one. I seriously can't stress how much I enjoy your reviews, they help me so much. It must be really annoying on your half, I make the same mistakes over and over regarding one or two words and apostrophes. The part about the ellipsis was greatly appreciated, seeing as the next chapters might have their fill of awkward pauses. Concerning Amy and Edward, I hadn't actually considered them getting together. I've set the story four/ five months before Bella arrives (I have exact dates written down for it all.) Now that you've sort of brought the idea of Amy and Edward, it has me curious if anyone would find that predictable or weird without Bella dating him in my story.**

**xXSilentSanctuaryXx: Thank you! I'm glad you find her witty! That's awesome! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I can guarantee that she will get her time with them in the next chapter. :D**

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**Thank you for the lovely reviews, hitting follow/ favorite, and just reading my story. Just this week I've gotten almost three thousand views on the chapters. It's breathtaking to see how many of y'all read my stuff.**

**Hopefully you made it this far to read this note because I've got a story changing question/ idea/ proposal/ thing. How would y'all react to Amy and Edward getting together, or just harmless flirting before Bella comes into the story. I've set the story four/five months before Bella arrives. Do you still want Bella and Edward to be canon? Or do you want something completely different, like Edward and Alice dating the whole time? Alice doesn't have her mate yet in the story, so anything is open right now. I'm just going to repost this at the top to make sure y'all read it.**


	11. Chapter 11: All Knowing Friendship

**A/N: I'm simply blown away by the amount of reviews the last chapter received. 12 wonderful reviews! :0 Y'all are amazing! I just can't believe it's almost 50 reviews on this story, that just awes me. Not to mention the over 100 follows and over 70 favorites and thousands of views this week alone. It's crazy.**

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**A huge, gigantic, humongous praise to my beta ****SheikahLover! She is absolutely amazing! Seriously, the changes have just made the story much better, regarding grammar, sentence fluency, and word usage.**

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**Relating to Amy, Edward, Alice, and Bella, I have decided to keep Bella in the story. She will arrive four months into the fic. I'm deeply sorry if you don't like this choice, but I promise she won't become the focus. I just really wanted Erica apart of the main events Bella sort of set off. Jacob will take a sideline to the story, I'm afraid, as he can't offer any interest for Erica's plot. Amy will do her thing, maybe flirt with Edward but nothing more. Alice will be getting a mate, I'm so excited for that! **

**For those who do want Amy with Edward, if she did date him would you mind her setting off the main events? Her blood appealing to James, Aro having interest in her (and Erica maybe) for a different potential, and such things? **

**That is the main reason I've kept Bella in, for the main events. **

**Hope you love the chapter! **

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Chapter 11:

Part of the Cullen's learning to trust Erica was watching her. When they initially proposed the action, she pictured being stuffed into a padded room hidden underneath the house. Instead, they were each going to spend some personal time with her. They would continue with this plan until each Cullen and Hale could completely trust her.

The first to spend this time with her was Alice. Any of her other family members didn't get a say, as Alice was already dragging Erica up the stairs.

Erica tried to pull back, but found it wiser to just follow the shorter girl.

Alice's room simply screamed her personality. It was dainty and graceful looking. The walls were pastel blue, with stenciled patterns scattered about. On the wall in front of her door was a large vanity; it was beautiful but outshined by the large ornate vintage looking silver mirror. On the wall to the right was a large canopy bed, framed in thick white curtains. With the curtains open, Erica could see several pale blue decorative pillows. On the floor was the same white carpet that was downstairs.

Erica didn't spend more time gawking at the room, instead choosing to sit down on the floor near Alice.

"_What's going to happen to Amy?"_

"She'll be taken home." Alice told her, sitting on top of her legs on the bed.

"Luckily for Edward, Esme offered to do it." She continued.

"_What about my Mom? She was expecting me to be home after school, with Amy._"

Alice didn't look as concerned as Erica.

"We have a very nice reputation here in Forks." She spoke with a smile. "Your Mother didn't hesitate in allowing you to study here for a while."

Erica just dumbly nodded, "_Does my Mom even realize we don't have any classes together? We're not even in the same year."_

"You could always use Jasper as an alibi; he has both a class with you and is in the same year." Alice offered with a small knowing to reassure Erica she was only joking.

"_No, I'm fine with the lies. Who needs a good education anyways?" _Erica couldn't help but smile as she signed.

It almost worried her how comfortable she felt around Alice. The feeling was almost as close to the comfort level between her and Amy. But she wished Amy was still there as well, her friend could have provided a better conversation than Erica.

"We don't need to study, I've been to more schools than you could even imagine." Alice told her.

Erica perked her head upwards, wanting to see how much information she could get. As she moved to sign, Alice tensed up for a moment. Erica watched as her eyes glazed over briefly, before the girl continued smiling as if the action hadn't occurred.

"Nope, that's as much as you'll get out of me." Erica was startled by how Alice knew what she was going to attempt to do.

"Jasper would probably tell you more." Alice pushed again, much to Erica's confusion.

"_Wouldn't my best chances be with you? You don't hate me, unless you're an amazing actress."_

Alice shrugged. "Who knows what you could find out. I certainly don't."

Erica watched as she stood up, stepping so lightly on her feet it looked like dancing. Alice stood before her vanity, smiling into her mirror. She started adjusting her hair, spiking up the ends more. Her hands started smoothing out the clothes she wore, paying no mind to Erica. Abruptly, she paused with her hand against her thick blue coat pocket.

"Also, I'm an amazing actress."

The laughter that slipped out of Erica was both freeing and mortifying. She was sure she wouldn't have a good laugh if she could speak, a sound incomparable to Amy or one of the Cullen's laughter, if her snort-wheeze cough was anything to judge by. Usually she only allowed herself to laugh around Amy, not daring to make the noise around her family. She especially dreaded the thought of laughing around her peers. Making a noise as horrible to her ears around Alice had her humiliated.

Reflexively, she ceased the noise and covered her mouth, as if to contain any stubborn amusement. Erica didn't dare to look at Alice, not willing to see her expression.

When the silence became too much, only after a few heartbeats, Erica timidly peeked up.

To her surprise, Alice didn't even acknowledge the sound. If it were Amy, there would have been a lighthearted joke in response, with her family an uncomfortable silence would settle. But with Alice, she didn't react; it was as if Erica was any other person expressing amusement.

Replacing the mortification was a settling feeling of what friendship would be in emotion form.

* * *

Erica had only spent half an hour with Alice. A full thirty minutes were filled with Erica being treated like Erica, not the mute girl or the girl who needed to be treated with extra special attention. Roughly thirty minutes in, Alice had begun leaving the room. She had followed the shorter girl down the stairs, not sure about what was going on. Then, before Erica could react, Alice left. After she had left her, Erica noticed why Alice had been so abrupt. It seemed Alice's time was up and it was another Cullen's turn.

"_Hi,"_ Erica said, moving her hand from her head in a fashion similar to waving.

Edward looked up from his book; Erica assumed it related to music after seeing the notes on the cover.

"Do you play any instruments?" Edward questioned, no doubt related to her previous observation.

Erica quickly shook her head, still standing in the middle of the room. "_No, that's more of Amy's interest._"

He tilted his head to side, before dropping interest and moving on.

"What about you?"

Erica wasn't sure why the sudden attention was placed on her. She assumed it might have to do with them trusting her and the little bit of knowledge she had.

"_I like painting._" She offered lamely, shifting on her feet.

"No, something you're good at."

She felt embarrassed by that, wishing she could hide behind her hair. It was no secret that she had no talent with a paintbrush; the art form was more of a stress-reliever. A stress-reliever her mother abhorred until her father began paying for the supplies. Lidia was all too happy when Erica showed an interest in art; her stepmother was exceedingly talented at sculpting. She didn't verbalize it, but Erica knew she was disappointed that Erica couldn't even qualify her art as abstract or surreal.

There was something that Erica did truly love. Something that didn't make her different for being voiceless.

"_I love to write._"

When Erica could write, it didn't matter that she was silent. With art, she would have had to 'showcase' it to the rest of the class, something she obviously couldn't do properly. In English class, she would simply write her stories and papers and that was it. When she wrote, she was as normal as anyone else in the class. If it wasn't for her papers, Erica would be failing the literature class. She was admittedly bad at interpreting poetry and the symbolism in prose. But, that didn't matter.

"Ah, so that's what Alice meant." Edward mused, placing a hand on his book thoughtfully. He patted the book once before placing it on the cushion next to him.

"_What do you mean?_"

She was quite curious. She wasn't too sure if Alice had something similar to Edward.

Edward shook his head dismissively. "Nothing, she just said something and gave me a glimpse of something else."

Before she could question what he meant by glimpse, Edward stood up. Quietly, he left the room. Erica wasn't sure what she should do, follow him or continue to awkwardly pace her feet.

Her concerns were answered when Edward peeked back around the corner.

"Are you coming or not?"

He didn't look as bored as usual; actually he looked amused when Erica finally trailed after him.

Through a doorway Erica hadn't noticed before was a raised platform. However, that wasn't what caught her eye. The large grand piano had left her almost star struck, which was oddly funny because she couldn't tell you even the most basic of things related to that instrument. What really left her in awe was Edward playing the instrument. Leaning against the doorway, she watched the way he moved his hands on the keys. There was almost a blur between his fingers when he shifted between the notes. During this, she couldn't help but notice he was almost more human. There was an obvious difference between him and anyone else's mannerisms, but the look on his face was simply soulful.

She didn't realize how long she stood there, dimly aware her legs were straining. She hadn't even noticed he stopped playing until she heard his laugh.

Blinking, she stood straight again. "_Wow."_

It seemed to be the only coherent thought she could process.

"You know, it's a bit unnerving when someone stares at you for almost thirty-five minutes." Edward chuckled, standing up.

"_Shut up, it wasn't that long and I wasn't staring!_" She was well aware she was lying.

Edward shook his head, walking past her and out of the room. "Lying won't help us trust you."

Erica wondered if he needed to read her mind to know she was glaring at him.

"There's a mirror that I can clearly see you in, Erica." He informed her, pointing to a mirror that reflected her narrowed eyes.

Rolling her eyes, she sat down on the gray couch. It wasn't the most comfortable thing; the cushion reminded her of one she had seen when browsing showcases with Lidia. It was unlike her own couches as both homes, worn and stained from her younger years and dog.

"_So, what composition were you playing?" _Erica questioned, rubbing her finger along the fabric.

"Franz Liszt Piano Sonata in B. Minor." He replied, picking up the book from before.

The words flew over her head, completely unfamiliar with her vocabulary.

"_Cool_," She felt like she needed to reply with something to him.

He didn't give any sign of hearing her, now he was almost ignoring her.

Her feet tapped on the floor, making awkward thuds and an unpleasant sound of rubber against wood. As she tapped, her fingers started mimicking the beat on her knee. Eventually, she began to click her heels together and tap both sets of fingers.

What made her stop was sharp glare of disdain. He opened his mouth, as if his words were poised to go, when he sat up straighter.

"Alice has declared it an appropriate time for you to return home." With a snap of his book shutting, he left the room.

Following his disappearance was Alice. Erica couldn't help but notice she was now wearing a different outfit. Instead of her thick deep blue coat, she was wearing a thinner gray cardigan and knee length deep red dress.

As if answering her inspection, she said. "This will make a better impression on your mother. She'll recognize the dress to be one from an eco-friendly shop she had gone to a few days ago."

The way Alice spoke was strange; Erica noticed she had a habit of speaking as if something already happened. Before, she had just waved it off to being an Alice thing. But now, she couldn't ignore the way Alice said what happened, or will happen.

"_You act as if it just happened."_

Alice only smiled wider. "Isn't that funny."

Not allowing Erica to speak again, Alice grasped her upper arm lightly and pulled her off the sofa.

"Let's go now, your mother just got home."

* * *

A car ride with just Alice was much more relaxing than the previous ride. Alice borrowed her brother's car, claiming it to be the least extravagant. Erica was even allowed to sit in the front seat, a privilege she had not done in almost three years. From her advantage point, she could see just how fast the Cullen's drove. The trees around the private road blurred, making a thick green wall around the car. Erica couldn't feel the transition from dirt to road like last time. It was just one continuous motion that induced a feeling of excitement in Erica. She was tempted to throw her hands up in the air, as if on a roller-coaster. But she didn't, instead choosing to keep her hands clutched around her schoolbag.

"Now, I'll need you to say you and Jasper went over the study guide for the test on Friday. You won't need to actually study, by the way, it all ends well." Alice told her, as they drove through the street before Erica's own.

"_Wait, me and Jasper?" _Erica ignored the last comment.

Alice didn't look away from the road, but Erica could still see the smirk on her face.

"Yes, he's the only one who shares a class with you."

Erica didn't know if she imagined the sly tone or not.

"_Why can't we lie some more and say you and I have art class together._"

"Mine's a period before yours. Your parents could figure it out accidentally." There was definitely a sly quality to her voice.

"_So that's something you don't know?"_

"Hmm?" Alice hummed, stopping the car and fully ignoring Erica's rhetorical question.

"_Come on, you'll want to meet my Mom before she gets into her night clothes._" Erica told her, exiting the car.

Alice had done the action in a smoother way, despite being in a dress. Erica couldn't manage to get out of the seat without snagging her hair on the retracted seatbelt.

Erica trailed behind Alice, watching as she comfortably skipped her way up to the front door. She delicately raised her pale hand and knocked three times, balancing on one foot.

When her mother opened the door, there was a clearly smothered shock. She guessed her mother didn't truly believe her only child was over at the Cullen house. Her mother quickly recovered, smoothing out the work blouse, Erica assumed she had just begun changing.

"Hello, you must be Alice?"

Erica could have snorted; of course her mother knew who Alice Cullen was.

Alice seemed to share her thoughts, judging by the shift in her face.

"Lovely to meet you Ms. Morgan."

Her mother let out a laugh, moving aside so they could walk into the humble home.

"Oh, it's Cailer."

Alice didn't comment, instead whispering to Erica. "It would seem suspicious if she knows I knew that."

Alice simply winked at Erica's baffled face.

Seeing a Cullen perched on the battered couch was strange. She assumed it was just as strange to see a human in house full of non-humans.

At least her mother felt the same way, Erica noticed as she watched her start to fold the old blanket thrown over the opposite seat.

"So Erica, how was the studying?" Even though she spoke to Erica, her mother's eyes kept drifting to Alice.

"_Great. Jasper and I reviewed the study guide for the history test this Friday._" The lie wasn't perceivable and easy to give, as Erica didn't have a voice that could reveal it.

The mention of Jasper gathered her full attention. "Jasper, huh?"

"_Yeah, we have history class together. That's why Amy and I went over._"

"Hmm," Her mother gave noncommittally.

"I'm surprised you two don't do this more often." Alice chimed in. "Why don't you come over tomorrow for some more studying?"

Her mother laughed awkwardly. "Why don't you just go over each day until Friday? You need the help sweetie."

"Good, it's all settled." Alice smiled warmly.

Erica didn't know when everyone started deciding things for her.

In the midst of a settling silence, Erica's mother started speaking.

"Oh! Did you get that at Vivian's store?"

Erica was baffled, watching with a slight sense of _déjà-vu_.

"Yes! I absolutely love earth friendly clothing." Alice gushed. She was right, she was an amazing actress.

The two chatted for several minutes, Alice seemingly one step ahead of her mother. It wasn't that noticeable, but before her mother could point out her cardigan, Alice was already tugging on it.

"_Wow, am I tired. _" Erica managed a fake yawn, gathering their attention.

Alice giggled lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow Erica. Goodnight Ms. Cailer."

Erica was taken by surprise when Alice reached over and hugged her. With a final squeeze, Alice was prancing towards the door. Reeled by the surprise, Erica only waved in response.

Later, as she was finally settled into bed, Erica realized something. She was going back to the Cullen house tomorrow.

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**A/N:**

**Readingfairy: I'm sorry the chapters are short. :( Hopefully you'll still read the story, I really appreciate your support. **

**Jacobslover2014: Thank you for your nice words! I hope you don't mind Amy and Edward not getting together, though I may reconsider as said in the note at the beginning of the chapter. **

**RaeDawnxx: Thank you so much! I totally understand, Edward/oc are some of my favorite fics, just to see what other characters can provide against Bella. **

**Errrcca: Sorry for the lengths… :( I'm definitely Team Jasper as well! :D**

**Leelolalee: I'm pretty sure I will, maybe 80% sure, though that estimate is fluctuating right now. **

**SheikahLover: Thank you so much! I really want Amy and Edward together, to be honest. She's adorable, he's adorable, it's a match made in fictional teen romance heaven. Amy definitely wouldn't let Edward become her main lifeline, she's too much of a free bird for that. Erica won't allow Jasper to be her life, I see her even actively seeking out new hobbies to separate herself to make sure she doesn't let him consume her life. I don't see Erica even willing to become a vamp until she's ready, but you already know my plans for that one. Thank you so much for the helpful changes in the last chapter (as well as all of them) It was way too much fun adding that Jasper wouldn't stop staring at her, pretty soon the gaze will change between them. ;) **

**Honiahaka02: I will be, more than likely but who knows, keeping the canon pair of Edward and Bella. :)**

**Guest 1: I like Jarica :) **

**j0ph33: I'm not sure if you mean Carlisle and Jasper or it's a typo and you ship Erica and Jasper. Hey, maybe it's both! Glad you find my updates interesting! :) Hope you enjoy the chapter! **

**MaxBacon: Thank you! One of my biggest pet peeves is when the format is set to the middle, it never allows me to zoom in on it. Your review actually inspired the oc for Alice, oops did I spoil that? No clue… I love the idea of her taken surprise, which is why I've started making her super interested in Erica and her future with Jasper right now. **

**Guest 2: I do really want Edward and Alice, I think it would be the most frustrating relationship on this planet. Buuut, I need Bella for the main events. Unless Amy could sub for them, but in a relatable adorable way. **

**glowgreen4me: Thank you! Amy is pretty much put in a corner. :D Their relationship, jasper and Erica's, will have a lovely develop. I want it to be very relatable and still almost held back on both of their parts. Edward doesn't trust Erica, but he trusts Alice's judgment. The rest are going to find out for themselves. :) **

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**I'm seriously blown away by the support. Thank you so much. **


	12. Chapter 12: Team Kick Butt

Chapter 12:

**A/N: I hope you don't mind that I have used the movie depiction for the Cullen house. I don't think I mentioned it before, my reasoning is due to having a more in depth look at the house used than what I would've gotten using book descriptions. Admittedly, I don't even have copies on me right now. Sorry if it annoys anyone.**

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**Big gigantic thank you to my beta, ****SheikahLover. You are amazing, as usual! :) **

**Also, a thank you to glowgreen4me, who inspired the chapter. **

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School was already as difficult as Erica expected. Once Erica had entered the parking lot of Forks High School, Amy had been waiting by the steps. She must have been too eager to get to school, as her hair wasn't even tied back and she doubted there was any attempt at brushing the messy dark hair.

Erica offered a wave as a greeting, stepping onto the steps herself. Once her sneakers met the cement incline, Amy stepped higher. She didn't think much of it, until she noticed that Amy was determined not to look at her. Erica didn't think Amy would ever purposefully ignore her.

"_Are you seriously mad? I could have died yesterday!" _Erica tried extending her hands to be in front of Amy's change in direction.

"_You'd feel really bad if I died. There would be a funeral and as my only friend you would have to make a speech and everything._"

The corners of Amy's mouth twitched. Erica took it as a sign to continue.

"_It would be a last minute thing too, and embarrassing if you drop the paper like you did that time last year during the spelling bee assembly."_

Now, Amy looked at her. Mirth played in her blue eyes, but her mouth was still a straight line.

"_You would also have to attend the funeral because then no one else but my family would. I would be embarrassed, from the beyond, of course, since I'd be dead."_

One corner of her mouth rose completely.

"_But no, you would stay at home and complain that I got to hear Edward play the piano."_

That was the wrong thing to say, Erica realized it before Amy did. Any amusement died and she spun around on the step. Before Amy could strut away, Erica tugged on the back of her shirt. With the pause in stride, Erica could move around and stand in front of her.

"What composition?" Amy asked so slowly Erica didn't know if she heard right.

While she was stunned, Amy took the opening to repeat her question.

"_I don't know… it was like thirty minutes long I think."_

Amy only hummed in response, attempting to walk past Erica. That didn't happen, since Erica quickly extended her arm in a fashion similar to a metal bar, preventing Amy from moving forward.

"_Please say something_." Erica gave her a small smile, lowering her arm.

Lifting her nose up to the air, Amy responded. "Was he as cute as I think he was?"

Relief filled her, she was not expecting Amy to say anything at all. So she simply nodded her head and let out a quiet and breathy chuckle.

"Knew it," Amy laughed as well. "Do you think I could get in on that Cullen music time?"

* * *

The other students seemed calmer than normal—maybe because it was Wednesday. The middle of the week meant there were only two days before the resentment for the weekend's end and then two days of anticipation for the next weekend. Wednesday didn't take away or promise anything. Or maybe it was Erica that made everyone else seem calm. She was beyond frazzled with the impending Cullen time after school. It didn't help that she had no idea who would be watching her today. She dreaded to think that it could be Jasper or Rosalie. Maybe she would get lucky and Mrs. Cullen would want to scrutinize her.

Once she arrived to her last class of the day, history, she was welcomed by an unwanted sight. On the right side of the classroom, Erica could see Amy already sitting in her desk with Mia Cooper next to her. In the desk directly in front, beside Erica's usual seat, was someone else. He sat in the seat that Felicity Jones usually occupied. Looking further back, Erica saw that she was sitting in the back of the room now, sending Erica a wink once she looked up.

"Erica, would you like to take a seat?" Mr. Doyle abruptly asked, leaning against his desk and wiping his glasses on his shirt.

Erica nodded in apology, walking and almost tripping on the cord that ran underneath the thin carpet. She was then faced with the awkward position of walking behind Jasper to get to her seat. Her usual desk mate was built in a similar stature, thin and short, making it easy for Erica to get behind the seat. Jasper was definitely not short or small. Last time they were both standing close to each other, her head was only near the middle of his chest. He was also broader than Felicity, being more muscular than an eighteen-year old girl.

He seemed to be as close as he could be to the desk, but that still only left the minimum of space for Erica to move in. Amy seemed to follow her thoughts, reaching over and taking the backpack from Erica's arms. It made moving easier, allowing her to slide through. But she still had to uncomfortably face forward as she did so.

Finally she was seated, making a point not to look at Jasper as she retrieved her backpack. Once she heard the standard beginning of class speech, she pulled her notebook out.

'_What is going on?'_ She lifted the book up a bit, letting Amy see it.

Moments later she felt a piece of paper hit the heel of her shoe. Discreetly, she picked it up.

'_No clue, I arrived a second before you did. But, Mia says she knows.'_

The neat writing changed after the sentence, becoming more angled to the side.

'_Well, Felicity was already sitting in her original seat, only she was taking to Jasper. He was saying something about u needing his help in class and that u felt better having him up there. She said yes, obviously, who would say no to that face. So are u guys dating? That's what Felicity told me when she got up._'

Erica was cringing through the whole thing, from the misspelled words to the direct implication. Her face, neck, and ears felt warm. Not for the first time this school year, Erica wished she hadn't cut her long hair off. She had thought it would make her more independent, freeing her from a curtain that she so often hid behind. Now she desperately felt the need to hide again.

Crumpling the paper, she rolled it back to them on the ground. It hit a shoe, though not the intended one.

"Erica, did you want to pay attention or pass notes?" Mr. Doyle questioned, sternly staring down at her from the aisle in-between the desks. "The same goes for you Amy and Mia."

Amy didn't look panicked, while Mia looked ready to confess to several crimes. Erica felt guilty, not for passing notes but for getting the others caught.

"Let's see what this says then, hmm?" Their teacher walked back to the front of the class, running a hand through his nonexistent hair.

Erica gripped her desk tightly, glancing at Jasper through her peripherals. He was smirking and Erica wondered if he could read minds as well and knew what was on the paper.

"No clue, I arrived a second before you did. But, Mia says she knows." Mr. Doyle recited, raising his voice in a mimic of Amy's.

Then he lowered it slightly and added a valley girl accent. "Well, Felicity was already sitting in her original seat, only she was taking to Jasper. He was saying something about you needing his help in class and that you felt better having him up there. She said yes, obviously, who would say no to that face. So are you guys dating? That's what Felicity told me when she got up."

The whole class was laughing, minus four of them. Erica was mortified, holding her face in her hands. Looking back, she could see Mia glowing red with embarrassment, fanning her eyes to prevent smearing her makeup. Amy was trying to laugh along with the others, failing badly. Looking forward again, she saw Jasper was simply reading his history book. Though, the edges of his mouth were upturned.

"Now that we have that up in the air, how about you girls discuss your private lives after school?" Mr. Doyle told them, throwing the paper in the recycling bin.

There was nothing to discuss, Erica wanted to scream so badly. She didn't have a voice to deny what everyone else now thought. She knew it wouldn't take long until the rest of the school heard what happened. Plus, in her class alone most of the students had younger siblings at the school.

It took a while, but the class finally ceased their laughter.

Erica couldn't feel an end in her embarrassment, something she knew was very visible on her face. It wasn't until she looked directly at Jasper that it dispersed. He didn't look back at her, but she knew he was aware she was staring.

* * *

"Do you think they've forgotten what happened?" Amy asked, walking out of the school with Erica.

She was met with her answer when a group of sophomores pointed to them, in the middle of that circle was Felicity.

Amy shook her head, pulling her hair out of its hair tie and over her face. She went to tug on Erica, only to miss as someone else pulled her away.

Erica tried to push against the source, only to find it felt like she was fighting a wall.

"C'mon, it's my turn with you!"

He was even taller than Jasper and had an obvious muscle to him, unlike Jasper who was leaner. He had dark, very dark, curly hair and from his wide smile she could see dimples. Emmett didn't tug her around like Alice, who waited for her to stand and move first. Emmett was practically lifting her feet above the ground several inches and carrying her to the bright red Jeep. Outside the car, Erica could see Rosalie fixing her makeup in a compact and next to her Alice waved brightly. Edward was inside his Volvo, from what she could see, and Jasper had barely walked up to the car.

Once the two were within hearing distance, Jasper called out to them, "You're gonna break her, Emmett." When he was speaking louder, she could hear an accent in his voice. A southern one she didn't doubt he had gotten when he was a human going by the surname of Whitlock.

She was surprised to hear him say anything not involving her being untrustworthy.

"Fine then, ruin my fun with the human." Emmett put her feet back on the ground, letting go of her arms.

Rosalie scoffed. "Please, could you say that any louder?"

It was the least vicious thing Erica had heard Rosalie say, which made it difficult for her to look away when Rosalie went and hugged Emmett. She knew they were together, but it was strange to see her not hissing.

"_So, who will I be spending the after school time with today?_"

Alice was the one who saw her sign, "Rosalie and Emmett!"

Her respond was so happy for something that gave Erica such dread.

Erica found out that she was going to be going in the Jeep this time. She wasn't sure how they expected to get her in the car. As she stood in the lot, she watched Edward and Jasper leave in the Volvo. Alice had already skipped into the Jeep and Emmett was already starting the vehicle. Rosalie was looking at her; a third party bystander might have even believed she was waiting for Erica.

"_I don't know how to get in_." Erica might as well have been babbling like a baby to Rosalie.

The glare in her eyes softened slightly, as if she knew what Erica had said.

"If you put your foot here, it makes it easier to get in." She pointed to a hidden part hidden underneath the Jeep.

Erica gave her a small smile and nod in thanks, using the part to pull her small legs up and into the Jeep. Sitting next to Alice, she wondered if that was her reason for getting into the Jeep so quickly.

When they finally started driving away from the school, Erica felt much better about this car ride. She wasn't crammed against the window, even though the seatbelt of the Jeep was more constricting and harness-like. Alice was busy doing something in her lap, not pulling at Erica's hair. Only once did she involve Erica in something, and that was to fix the sweater dress Erica was wearing. Rosalie didn't even glare at her, opting to look back every minute instead with stern disapproval at her presence.

Erica didn't attempt to make conversation; instead, she was far too worried at what she and the two in the front seat would have in store for her.

* * *

"Alright kid, this is what's going to happen." Emmett announced, sitting down on a wider and longer L-shaped couch.

They were in a room Erica had yet to see. Through the kitchen and off the dining room was a small family room, with a fireplace to separate the space. The L-shaped couch was fashioned in a similar gray fabric, with a coffee table in front of it. There was a decently sized T.V in front of the couch and against the black fireplace.

Erica was impressed, the more she saw of the house the more she liked it.

The kitchen was the largest kitchen she had seen. She thought her father's home had a big kitchen, but the Cullen home defeated that assumption. There was a gigantic island in the kitchen, which extended out and almost into the family room. The black and orange seemed to be a running theme in the house.

"_I'm not a kid. I'll be eighteen in January._" She wasn't sure he would understand her, but to her surprise he laughed and tossed a game controller at her.

"Still counts as a kid, especially in this house." He laughed, leaving her as confused as she would get in that house.

On the coffee table was a plastic case for a video game, and there was also a bright green solider of sorts on the cover, pointing a gun. 'Halo: Combat Evolved' read below his head. On the top was an oval with the words 'Xbox Only.' She had heard from around school about the game and play system, but had never seen one up close. Her mother didn't want any corruption to Erica's brain.

"Ready to join Team Kick Butt?" he asked excitedly, not waiting for her answer as he entered the game play. He had even reached over and turned the controller on for her.

Dropping the controller in her lap, she signed clumsily. "_Sure, I think."_

He didn't respond as he was too busy in the game. She didn't understand it at all in how to move her person around. The most she succeeded in doing was going around in a circle. She felt a combined need to vomit and win the game. She tried mimicking what Emmett was doing, seeing his person shooting some form of alien and succeeding, but his figure was moving too fast for her to see the controller.

When the match finally ended, with Erica somehow launching a purple grenade and killing herself, Emmett let the game rest on a pause.

"You were the worst player ever." He told her with a serious concern. "Even worse than Eddie, who doesn't even know how to hold the controller."

She felt worse at that, trying to change the subject. "_When did you learn sign language? Better yet, why did you?"_

"Well, how else are we gonna be Team Kick Butt?" He asked as if it were obvious.

"_I had to study sign language for six years until I was fluent." _She told him, shocked that he was so nonchalant.

"Eh, more or less ..." Emmett said vaguely.

"It took Jasper half the time that it took me to learn it, and Alice has known it for a couple of years now." Emmett told her, as if to divert the attention from him. "Rosalie still refuses to learn it, says she doesn't need it."

"_They don't have to learn it because of me, Rosalie is right." _Erica told him, feeling almost flustered at them learning to communicate with her.

"Nah, kid, it's what people do."

Any seriousness of any moment they might have had was gone, as he gently punched her shoulder and undid the paused the game for a new match.

* * *

Erica was waiting out on the large deck when Rosalie arrived. Once Emmett declared her worthy enough to be part of their team, he told her to wander the house while he went to get Rosalie. She wasn't going to argue against that, wanting to see more of the house. A door by the family room led to an outside deck. The deck was just as grand as the rest of the house, with deep varying tones of orange wooden planks. When she leaned against the railing, she could almost reach a hand out to the extending tree branches. She was tempted to, seeing the swaying twigs. Just as she reached her fingers toward the nature, she heard an abrupt cough.

Erica was going to sign her greeting, until she changed her mind and simply waved.

Rosalie didn't seem to mind, strutting over with grace unseen anywhere else. She leaned her arm against the railing, speaking to Erica.

"Look, I don't understand why you want to know." She didn't look at Erica. "It's such a stupid human thing to do, interfere in things not concerning you. I just don't understand why we can't just get rid of you; you offer nothing to this family, only a threat to our precautions."

Erica wasn't sure how to respond. Her backpack was inside, with her notebook and Rosalie didn't understand sign langue. Erica especially didn't want anyone of the other Cullens involved, if she needed a translator.

Uncomfortable, she reached her hands into her sweater dress's pocket. She expected to find a comfort blanket of sorts, only for her hand to come in contact with a hard edge. Curling her finger around it, she pulled it out of her pocket. There were several pieces of paper and a pen folded in between the crease. She briefly wondered how it got there, before remembering Alice flitting over her dress.

She walked over to the table, seating herself. Rosalie followed, seeing the paper in her hands.

'_I want to know because …_" She didn't know what she wanted to say.

Inside she wanted to say so many things, almost craved to speak freely. She hated being limited to ASL and paper.

Seeing her pause, Rosalie interrupted. "Don't say because you deserve to know, you have no idea what you're meddling in."

'_I want to know because if I do, then I won't be so alone.' _She saw her confused and haughty gaze, prompting her to continue. '_I won't be the biggest freak in Forks, even if other people don't know it. I will know it. I was hoping you guys had some condition like me, something that made you different... I'm definitely in over my head_.'

Rosalie just stared at her, almost as if she wanted to break her with a single gaze.

"I pity you." She spoke so quietly that Erica didn't even realize she said anything at first. "You have this whole life ahead of you, yet you only focus on your differences. Why can't you appreciate what makes you unique, not different." There was sympathy in her narrowed eyes, not disdain.

_'I don't see what's so unique about being mute. I'll only be living half a life.'_ Erica expressed her full feelings to someone who moments ago seemed to hate her.

Rosalie shook her head, laughing without emotion. "You just don't get it."

She stood up, walking back to the railing. "I would give anything to have a life like yours, Erica, a mortal life. Even if I was mute."

She turned around to look at Erica. "You spend so much time resenting the negatives instead of appreciating the blessing of your life. You should leave while you can, when you regret what you've done it'll be too late."

Rosalie was painfully vague, just like the others in her family. It made Erica angry. She just wanted to have the truth for once. Before she could express her indignation however, Rosalie was gone.

* * *

**A/N: I would like to disclaim, I do not mean any offense to people with disabilities, being mute for example. The views expressed above are written purposefully for Erica's character, not as a personal view I hold regarding those who have similar conditions.**

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**Jacobslover2014: Thank you! I do want Amy and Edward as well, but I don't think anyone would be okay with Amy substituting for Bella in the main events of twilight. **

**MeggieBlack: I completely agree, I really like Amy and Edward, if they were together. **

**SheikahLover: Thank you! That's really sweet. Haha, I feel bad for Amy, she really wants to be alone with Edward. I almost wish Rosalie had driven her home. ;) Thank you so much for the kind words. :) **

**glowgreen4me: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the interactions in this chapter. :D You greatly inspired this chapter. **

**Guest: Haha, maybe! :D Thank you so much! **

**Readingfairy: Me too, which should be in a few chapters. :) **

**Adaisyamongroses: Thank you for the kind words! :) It's surreal to hear. **

**MaxBacon: Thank you! Hopefully you like this chapter. :) **

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**A huge thank you to everyone. It is very surreal to see the lovely support. **


	13. Chapter 13: Gold Star

**A/N:**

**Huge thank you to my beta, ****SheikahLover! Seriously, she is amazing and puts up with my grammar. **

**I would also like to thank ****glowgreen4me, without the suggestion in you review, this chapter might have been another week late. **

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Chapter 13:

She was still stunned, even after Rosalie left. There was a bubbling feeling of guilt and anger that swelled up inside her. The anger was for her not understanding Rosalie's words, and the guilt was for her sympathizing far more than Erica thought possible of Rosalie. There were now two versions of the blond that Erica had seen; one who hates her viciously and then the other that pities her deeply. She wasn't sure which one was a true reflection of the girl. But, she understood her more now. Rosalie was seeing Erica as a threat, one that selfishly pushed herself into their circle and savagely devastated her family's protection. She hadn't even thought of the repercussions, especially before she knew there was the slight chance the Cullens weren't completely human. The deck had suddenly gotten significantly colder, the Washington air chilling at the higher elevation. When she couldn't ignore the chill for the view, she went inside.

Mrs. Cullen was waiting for her, so it seemed. She was leaning against the fireplace, watching Erica with a sad smile.

Erica always felt awestruck when she saw any of the Cullen family members. She wondered if it was a natural reaction caused by whatever they were; it sounded silly but Erica wasn't usually one to be left almost mesmerized by other people.

"_I take it you heard everything?" _Erica asked, just assuming they all knew sign language now.

It was natural to make the assumption that they all understood her in some way. Edward _always_ knew what she truly meant, the others usually followed her babble of ASL, and Rosalie could read her far too much for comfort.

Mrs. Cullen sighed, straightening her stance. "Well, it was fairly one-sided, but I heard enough."

Before Erica could sign again, Mrs. Cullen strode forward and placed a hand on her left shoulder. Despite the cold emitting from her hand, Erica believed she had never felt a warmer action in the Cullen house. It was relieving to have someone in this house that would let Erica have her moment. With Alice, the friendship was dependent on fast talking and common interest in bright colors. When she was with Emmett, she had to be more boisterous than usual. Edward was simply content in silence like his mother, but he could read her mind. Erica didn't even want to think about Rosalie or Jasper.

Mrs. Cullen was silent, merely letting Erica be herself for that brief instant.

All too quickly it was over, ending with a brief squeeze on Erica's shoulder. Before Erica could ask about tomorrow, Alice appeared in the room. It was unnerving to Erica, the way they ghosted in the house.

"Erica, it's time to get you home!"

* * *

"_I just don't understand anymore._" Erica confessed, sitting on her bed.

Alice had brought her home an hour before Amy showed up at the small home. There had been some slightly awkward exchanges between her mother and the shorter girl, but luckily it ended quickly and before Amy made her entrance.

Amy was sitting on the opposite end of the bed, her feet tucked under her body. On her lap, Erica's dog Kirby lounged without a care in the world.

"What do you mean?" Amy questioned, absently petting the golden fur on Kirby's ear.

Erica sighed, pulling on the dog's tail.

There had always been a slight curiousness regarding the Cullens ever since they moved to Forks almost two years ago. Then, that curiousness grew and festered inside Erica. Now that she knew as much as she did, she regretted even prying. She didn't want to know how small her understanding of the world really was. If one family was not human, just how many others were like the Cullen's—or worse, something else entirely?

"_The Cullens," _Erica replied shortly, releasing her pet's tail.

Amy waved her hand, wanting her to elaborate.

"_I wish I didn't even care, things have gotten too messy._"

She remembered Rosalie's warning, to leave before it was too late. What Rosalie didn't realize was that it was already too late. Erica was already invested in what would happen next; whatever that may be. It didn't matter that she wanted to escape it; she was almost as involved as the Cullen's themselves.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have a clue about how "messy" everything is." Amy told her bitterly, staring down at her lap.

Erica felt guilty; wishing the Cullens would let Amy in. She supposed Alice had it all figured out, slowly realizing you don't argue against her. If Amy had a place in all this, Alice would say something.

"_I'm sorry Amy_." Erica was truly apologetic.

Amy smiled at her friend, "It's fine, I'll get over it."

A comfortable silence fell over the room.

Erica was almost giddy thinking about what tomorrow could hold. She was positive that she would spend the time after school with Mrs. Cullen. Now that she had already spent time with most of the Cullen teenagers, their parents were the only ones left.

"They won't hurt you, right?" Amy suddenly asked, not looking at Erica, but at the wall in front of her.

"_Eh, who knows? I heard funerals are fun, anyway_. _Especially when you're the star._"

Moving on, she shrugged, smiling a bit. "_What do you think they really are?_"

She avoided Amy's question, mulling over the warnings again. She didn't get too deep in thought, Amy quickly disrupting her.

Amy seemed to forget her question, perking up with a wide smile. "I'm glad you asked!"

Erica watched as her friend left the bedroom, hearing her footsteps in the hallway as they grew quieter. As soon as they dwindled, the sound of her feet falls became louder. Amy repapered in the doorway holding her bright backpack. With a flourish of her hand, she dumped out something in the small front pocket. Instead of the loud thud Erica cringed away for, there was a slight crinkling noise. Peeking up from her collarbone, Erica saw that it was only a small piece of folded notebook paper.

Amy placed herself on the floor next to the paper, unfolding the sheet.

"So, I've been working on a few theories." Amy announced, turning the page around for Erica to see.

There were a few possibilities that Erica managed to see with the brief glimpse. She saw that 'resurrection' was at the top of the list, followed by 'wizard' and 'mutant.' Erica had to admit, out of all the theories, those were pretty good.

"Okay, wait for it …"

Amy stood up and turned around, then abruptly spun on her heels to shout.

"They're resurrected!" She beamed widely, looking expectantly.

Erica had to stifle in her laughter. "_Amy weren't you joking a few weeks ago when you first suggested that?"_

The brunette's face fell, dimly stating her next prospect.

"What about wizards?" She sat back down on the ground, reading her list. "They could have just used a potion to mimic the bodies of long dead people. Like Jasper Whitlock."

Erica considered it, only to shake her head after finding it too much like a few books she had read. Amy seemed to understand her view on that one, complying and crossing it out.

"What about mutants?"

"_No, the chances are too slim of them all having the same ability._"

This continued on for an hour and a half, ending once they had made it through the list of what the Cullens could be. Erica and Amy both changed positions several times throughout, now finding themselves both in the living room.

"Okay, so we've narrowed it down to sorcerers and vampires." Amy announced, seeing more crossed out words than clear paper on her sheet.

Erica snorted, finding the last one ridiculous.

They had both found those two the most plausible; well, as believable as it comes to being nonhuman. Sorcerers were apparently different than wizards, according to Amy. Vampire was jokingly added when they saw her mother's copy of a television show that ended in 2003.

"_Amy, just erase the last one._" Erica told her, throwing a decorative pillow at the brunette. "_It's ridiculous."_

* * *

"Well, I know I may not be as entertaining as my adopted children, but I'm sure we can have some fun as well."

Mrs. Cullen or Esme as she insisted Erica now call her, told her. They both sat in the grand kitchen, when Esme suddenly got up and turned towards the cupboards. The kitchen was truly beautiful with the contrasting orange and black color scheme. While she sat at the island, her direct view was of the forest through the large glass window. Esme was off to the side of the kitchen, looking through the wall of wooden cupboards. She found what she needed: wheat flour.

"_I personally find baking much more fun than video games._" Erica insisted, looking at the long countertop.

There were many ingredients scattered about, ranging from flour to demerara sugar. Esme, upon learning about Erica being a vegan, decided that they would bake together. It was something Erica rarely did with her own mother or stepmother, as both females were too much of a leading personality type to let Erica help. Erica didn't mind, especially after a particularly bad experience where she once forgot the leavening agent.

It almost amusing when Erica arrived at the house again, as Esme was waiting in the front room, holding a medium sized cookbook in her hands. It was also strange. Whenever her mother figures baked, they were both fond of old clothing. Mrs. Cullen, in contrast, was wearing a blue dress that looked like it cost more than her father's monthly gas bill.

She didn't have the heart to tell Esme that she had no prior baking experience, allowing the older woman to lightly pull on her arm and lead her into the kitchen.

Esme beamed at her response, having watched her hands with a restrained eager hope.

"Great!" She placed the wheat flour on the counter, dusting her hands off. "We've never actually used the groceries I buy each month."

The admission was something Erica archived in her mind, reminding herself to mention that to Amy. She was sure that would narrow down their silly list some more, or even bring up some other possible theories.

Erica smiled kindly at her, while absentmindedly rolling a green apple in her hand.

It seemed a bit silly to believe that the motherly woman in front of her wasn't human. Especially after seeing her almost flustered looking as she gathered the various required ingredients in her hands.

Next to the apples was an open cookbook, showcasing a recipe very familiar to Erica. She wondered if Alice had something to do with Esme owning the same book that her mother did.

"_So, Vegan Apple Spice Bread? How did you choose that one?" _Erica questioned, thumbing the page.

She heard Esme laugh, a noise that was both elegant and graceful, albeit a bit anxious.

"Alice may have helped with that." She looked bashful, though her pale face revealed nothing of the emotion.

Erica nodded her head, "_Yeah, Alice seems _really _good at knowing more about my life than I do."_

She didn't mean the biting remark, only letting out the pent up annoyance at her lack of understanding the strange family.

Luckily for her, Esme didn't comment on the matter. She slid the book over to her side of the counter, studying the pages for a moment. When she was done, Esme rested her elbows on the counter, looking at Erica.

"Do you and your mother bake often?" Esme questioned, smiling at the blond girl.

Erica wasn't sure how to reply. She and her mother had a strong relationship. Her mother was a giant constant in her life. But she did have her faults, a main one being her sometimes overbearing tendencies. They were close, with Heather being her teacher and only companion as she developed. But that also caused a rift between them once Erica started high school. Heather was finally able to work as a consultant for some private organization, something she had done before Erica's birth. Now there wasn't as much time for each other. Recently, they rarely had hours to be together.

"_We used to do it all the time, not so much recently."_ Erica shrugged nonchalantly, rolling another finger over the apple's skin.

She felt Esme reach a hand over the counter, lightly patting Erica's arm.

Wordlessly, Mrs. Cullen passed the silver peeler and corer. Erica took that as her time to move over to the sink. She silently slid out of the stool and walked over to the cupboards that ran the length of the glass wall. She could see the trees were closer; she could almost smell them underneath the scent of water and the unpeeled apples. Any other scent was masked once Erica started making a slicing motion with her hands, taking the green skin off the round fruit.

As she placed the first skinned fruit on a dark dish rag, she closed her eyes. When she did, she felt more at ease. More hyperaware. She knew that the Calawah River was nearby; the river was used to mark the Forks border. If she strained her ears enough, she could almost hear the river tumbling with the morning rain shower.

"I'll start mixing the dry ingredients."

Her voice startled Erica, leading her to slip the kitchen utensil out of her hands. The silver peeler fell against the metal sink with an obtrusive metallic clang. Reflexively, Erica drew her hands closer to her body. Through her peripherals, she saw Esme back away from her. It was odd, normally if Erica slipped while holding a sharp object, her mother would rush forward to inspect any potential wounds. Maybe Esme was irritated by the noise.

Studying her hand, Erica found no major damage had been done. The only mark of her spill was a slight cut on the surface of her skin.

She held her fingers up; as if to display that she was fine. Esme was further away, her mouth tightly shut in a thin line. Her golden eyes moved fast over the hand that Erica held up, until finally she relaxed with a loud exhale.

"_Are you alright Esme?_" Erica moved her fingers slowly, hesitantly.

The smile returned to her face as she composed herself. It was like the past minute hadn't even happened.

Erica ignored it for now, turning back to the sink. But, she stored that away in her mind as well.

* * *

"I think we did well!" Esme reassured Erica, standing beside her.

Erica couldn't stop staring at what was placed on the countertop. Next to the decorative dish was the cookbook. The page displayed a picture of a circular bread, topped with the sugar, and cut open to reveal the dense texture. Displayed on the decorative dish was a lopsided and uneven bread that was too dark to match the tan hue that the picture had. The sugar on the top had been put on _after _it was baked, instead of before, causing it to lump together and melt on the hot surface. They had tried cutting the bread open, only for the middle to sink inwards.

"_I think we should pretend that this never happened_." Erica deadpanned.

Esme's smile didn't falter. Even when she tossed the bread away in the trash.

"Well, this just means we have something to look forward to for the next time."

She was endlessly positive, something Erica was almost envious of. She wanted to look on the brighter side, even when something didn't turn out well. Esme still had hope that next time would be better.

Looking at the clock on the oven, Erica saw that over an hour of time had passed. The bread had taken fifty minutes to bake and thirty minutes of preparation time. Mrs. Cullen seemed to follow the same thought trail, as she wordlessly walked into the living room. Erica trailed behind her, slipping her arm through the backpack on the counter as she walked past it.

She half expected Alice to be waiting in the room, ready to bring her home as usual. But instead of the perky dark haired girl, someone else stood in the room. There was no mistaking them as the person bringing her home, as they absently tossed a pair of car keys up in the air.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoy the small attempt at what one could call a cliffhanger. Maybe cliffhanger? Probably doesn't count as one. **

**Anyway, I am left (once again) breathless at the amount of support this story has and is growing. Just seeing the amount who read the story leaves me awestruck, but to read the written support and following is very surreal. Hopefully I don't sound like a repeat record, I just can't believe that I did something to earn the amazing support. Gosh, I feel so emotional, more so than usual.**

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**KatieMarrie: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :)**

**Jacobslover2014: Thank you! I really loved writing the scene with them. Yeah, I think it's just best if I keep Bella in her canon role. I do love Amy, but I have a developing plan for her. :)**

**glowgreen4me: Thank you so much! I hope you don't mind me using your suggestions, they're honestly golden and help with the recent bout of writer block. I seriously can't wait for Carlisle to have time with her, I'm thinking of using that to explain her muteness medically. Seriously, though, thank you so much! :)**

**aandm20: Yeah, writing Rose like that felt a bit funny, as it was a tad bit hypocritical. It was necessary for the chapter and now I can really develop her opinion and hopefully an acceptance of Erica. Side note, I seriously loved the analogies you used. **

**Guest: Thank you! :D**

**SheikahLover: Haha, it's fine if you don't give a review for each one, you're helping me out so much. :D Thank you, that chapter might be my favorite so far. A certain vampire and Erica might change that soon, but currently I just love Emmett and Erica hanging out. Erica has a long rode ahead of her before she really joins their 'team,' which just means more Emmett time. Thank you, I really wanted an almost heavy scene with Rosalie. I was channeling the vibe of Bella and Rosalie, sorry Bella but Erica took the deck first. ;P I think deep down inside, as hopefully reflected in this chap, Erica understands that she has a certain standing point that is due to whatever they are. Erica is a little baby compared to them, to Rosalie. She is definitely so sheltered, which makes it easier for her to stay with the Cullens and try to pry the secret from them. There will definitely be a big scene where Rosalie really lays out the negative parts of being a vampire some point in the story. Thank you so much! Sadly, Carlisle will have to wait for a different chapter. :D **

**rae-reader1993: Thank you! Hopefully, when Jasper and Erica finally get close enough to converse, it lives up to expectation. I completely understand, I'll be keeping Bella in for that. **

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**Thank you, to each one of you who decided to review, follow, favorite, and simply read my fanfiction and stick with me so far. **


	14. Chapter 14: Impressive

**A large thank you to my beta: SheikahLover. Who puts up with my bad writing habits, even when I don't post for a month or forget to thank her. Without her the quality of my writing would be down by half. Not even kidding. **

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Chapter 14:

Jasper. Her breath got caught in her mouth just by looking at him. She couldn't deny her shock at his unexpected appearance, his very presence left her stumbling on her shoes as she shuffled awkwardly in the room. Esme didn't say anything, only giving her a concerned glance. Erica waved her off, feeling a sudden warmth spread over her cheeks and entire upper neck. She was reminded of a day in history class, which happened only a short week ago. It felt like more time had passed between today and that fateful moment, the stress of her situation was getting to her. She didn't know what compelled her to become so foolhardy around Jasper, but she wished it would upright and disappear.

If he noticed her stumbling, he didn't say anything. He didn't even say anything about them leaving, simply choosing to turn around and head towards the door.

Mrs. Cullen briefly squeezed her shoulder, giving Erica a moment to escape her inner turmoil.

She readjusted her school bag over her shoulders , feeling the rough worn fabric rub digging into her shoulder blades. She desperately wished for someone else's company, having an increased dread at the fate she had no say in. Erica would much prefer being in a car with Jasper and three other people than to be completely alone with him. To be alone with him was beyond daunting in her mind.

When she exited the house, she found that he wasn't sitting in the car like she expected, but was instead standing beside the vehicle. He leaned against the silver and unblemished metal casually, not looking at her but rather the trees surrounding his home. He made no sign of seeing her when she finally walked down the steps of the porch. Her shoes scuffed up the dirt on the pathway and made an obnoxious noise with each step she took. Erica expected him to continue as he was being, ignoring her and getting into the car. She was left wrong though, standing in her silence as he walked over to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door and stood beside it, finally staring at her. She admittedly gawked at the sight, not knowing if it was truly happening. She thanked any spirits watching over her as she managed to not stumble into the car. Her backpack was kept tightly against her body, in fear of it catching on the car and mortifying her even more than she already felt right now.

There was a brief moment of silence after the quiet shutting of her door. She didn't bother looking up, to see him walk around the car. She was afraid of him catching her stare, even if it was possible in the slightly tinted car windows. While she was sitting, she took the moment to place her hand against her upper chest. Her heart thumped loudly against her hand, roaring in her ears. The high and fast blood flow left her ears and neck feeling entirely warm. The short strands of hair were quickly shifted, vainly moved in an attempt to cover her ears. She pulled her sweater higher up, accomplishing in a sense of comfort even though her neck was still well visible.

Jasper opened his car door and sat silently, the only reason she knew he had entered the car was the starting of the engine. At the sound of the car starting, a small thrill ran through her. She was on her way back home and would be able to tell Amy about the events that occurred today.

He looked over at her, she could see him at the angle she held her head. It was easy to see through her bright hair and still feel as if she had no interest in him. It seemed like a silly reassurance, especially when his eyes met hers. She noticed, embarrassingly enough, that his eyes were different from the rest of his family. The Cullens all had a bright golden hue to their eyes, a color that seemed to almost glow when one was close enough to see it. While the shades always varied slightly, one having bright or dimmer eyes, Jasper had eyes that were completely different. His shade of ocher was very dark, almost a dusty yellow verging on a brown.

"Are you okay?"

She must have been staring too long.

Quickly, she pulled her eyes away, dropping them to her backpack.

He had a lovely voice, she noticed, particularly when it was not directed in a borderline threat to her. His voice was lower than Edward's but not a low as Emmett's voice. She could hear the small hint of an accent, though that could be due to her knowing to hear one in his voice. It was very faint, the accent, she wondered if he purposefully masked it or simply lost it during the many years that had passed since the Confederate War.

Her own curiousness got the best of her, as her fingers moved without much thought or consent from her.

"It helps make my relation to Rosalie more believable." He answered smoothly, briefly meeting her eyes again.

She didn't find any malice in his eyes, like the last car ride with him. Seeing him like this, being all calm and civil around her made him much more comparable to the soldier that gathered her primary interest in the Cullens.

"_So you two aren't twins?_" She asked with a closed smile.

He noticed the mistake before she could point it out. His already tense shoulders straightened even more. In the close proximity, she could hear the leather strain against his tight grasp.

"_Hey, you're the one who slipped up_." She retorted to the glare he started to send her.

Instead of increasing the narrowed gaze, his eyes softened back to their natural shape.

He returned his attention back to driving. "Alice was right, you are good are getting things out of us."

"_What do you mean?" _Was her genuine question to his low muttering of an answer.

He sighed quietly, readjusting his grip on the wheel. "She has been more forthcoming when it comes to your future with us."

She smiled widely this time, showing her teeth. "_Alice does have an idea of the future?"_

Her fingers moved shakily as she signed, her knee bounced with unsheltered excitement.

He didn't tense up as much as his last slip up; instead he gave her a withered gaze. "I'm only following what she told me to say." He told her.

Her excitement instantly fell, knowing he wouldn't have easily conversed with her had he not been told to.

_"Why would she tell you to reveal stuff about your family?_" She was confused and unnecessarily upset.

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "She said that it would speed things up."

He elaborated at her bewildered stare. "Alice has apparently been waiting awhile for this; for you in general, I mean. She thought she had more time before you were even born, but now that you're here she doesn't want to wait anymore."

A heavy yet hollow feeling settled in her chest. To hear such things in a simple passing statement left her feeling strange, as if she had to amount to more than she could.

"_What exactly is my role in that?_" She hoped he would reveal that bit of information, finding it to be worth more than him not actually being related to Rosalie.

He shrugged, just as he had done before. She believed that was all he knew concerning her future, she knew that before she had asked.

The car ride was just like the last ones, fast and quiet with a speed that crept up on her house. This time, however, she had only Jasper. When she was in complete silence with him, she noticed the lack of fidgeting, or for lack of a better term, human mannerisms. His shoulders would rise with the inhaling and exhaling of breath, but he didn't make a single sound as he breathed. Everyone, she noticed, had some sort of tick. She played with her hair or tapped her fingers on her knees. Jasper didn't move in the seat or move his limbs unnecessarily. She never really noticed with the other members of his family, they always filled the space with distracting conversation. Maybe Erica had never observed the others in the way she did with Jasper.

She didn't expect him to open her door for her, like he did before she entered the car. Perhaps it was the lingering southern charm in him that compelled him to do such things, especially now that she didn't seem to have an intention to spill their secrets to the outside world. He didn't look at her when she got out of the car, favoring her neighbors one story white wash fence over her face. Erica hoped that was going to be it for her contact with Jasper, but she was swiftly proven incorrect. Unlike Alice, he didn't stride forward until she did. He didn't stop and walk behind her either, while insistently chattering, rather he stood beside her on the paved and short path.

She didn't have a house key, as she was usually home after her mother returned from work or whatever hobbies collected her time during off days. The wood beneath her fist creaked as she knocked once and then followed the noise with a sharp yet dull ring of her doorbell.

Every muscle in her body wanted to turn and see what Jasper was doing beside her. She wanted to know if he bounced on his feet like Alice, or stood with a certain haughty posture like Rosalie. The want didn't win and was easily forgotten when her mother answered the door.

Luck was in her favor, as Heather was still clothed in a casual outfit she wore during her market trips. Her mother only liked going to a market a few towns over in Washington, a special trip she made once a month. Erica had completely forgotten about the trip, and found that a feeling of guilt settled in her stomach. Her mother was visibly affected by her daughter's sudden absence. While her mother wasn't young, by no means as the woman conceived Erica in a miracle birth in her forties, there was a more worn down look on her mother's bare face. Her hair, left in its natural blonde hair that was more gray than yellow, was pulled back into a haggard braid. The faded mossy green shirt was paired with her black work pants, something Erica always reminded her to change out of after coming home. By her mother's ankle, Erica could see a new fray splitting the seam. Her own eyes, a color not reflected by Erica, widened at Erica and most likely the sight of Jasper.

Before Erica could step into her home, her mother's thin fingers had already forcibly pulled Erica into a large embrace. Erica had to quickly contort her body to keep her hands in her mother's eyesight.

"I completely forgot you weren't with me today! I spent an hour and a half looking for you before I remembered." She didn't speak loudly, but in a quiet contrast to her hold on Erica.

The guilt in her stomach grew into a bubbling remorse. She knew her mother was almost sixty, but to hear her confess, and not for the first time, that she forgot about Erica's absence was heartbreaking.

She decided to ignore the urge to address the issue, moving on with a pitiful attempt at humor.

"_Mom! Let go, you're smothering your only child._" Her fingers brushed against the fabric of someone's shirt as she waved her hands widely. "_Think of the neighbors! We also have a witness!"_

Sense flowed back into her mother, or maybe she finally caught what Erica told her.

She was swiftly released from her mother's hold, allowing her to see her mother briefly mouth the word 'witness.' No longer than she did that did she notice Jasper. Her eyes widened comically at the sight of the Cullen male . Erica didn't doubt her mother didn't realize that she practically pushed Erica away in her shock. She could understand why, Alice was a much more welcomed sight to Jasper and his height and the focus his resting face had.

"_Mom,_" She took the attention off the honey blonde. "_This is Jasper; we've been studying for the history test tomorrow._"

Her mother nodded her head, most likely having forgotten that Mr. Doyle only gives history tests on Mondays, not Fridays.

Jasper watched her hands for a moment, filling in the break of conversation with the short nod of his own head.

"Yes, I believe we will also be studying all of next week as well." He ignored the aghast look on Erica's face, smiling smoothly at her mother.

Her mother only beamed in return, ignorant of her daughter's silent outrage. "Of course, anything helpful to Erica's schoolwork is fine with me. "

Erica looked between the two, finding it difficult to not be charmed by him as well. The smile was very flattering on his face and very strange to her emotions.

"_Well, Jasper has to go mom."_ She leaned closer to her mother, as if she was telling her a secret one that she didn't want Jasper to hear. "_He spends his Thursday nights hunting with his brothers and father. "_

Her mother tried to conceal her shock at that, a veil of false politeness on her face now.

"Figures, you would date him just to spite your vegan mother," she muttered to her daughter, unknowingly spinning her quick escape around.

"_Dating?! I'm not—"_

"Shh, it's alright. Your father told me." Her mother cooed at her.

Jasper didn't look confused, looking at Erica with a shine of amusement. In fact, he almost looked the exact opposite of bemused.

She instantly thought back to the first few days of school, remembering her spills of Jasper _Whitlock _ to her father and stepmother. Mortified didn't begin to cover how she felt, Erica was all ready to dig a pit in her front lawn and disappear forever. Possibly heading to China or maybe Australia... whichever was furthest away from Forks given the location of her front lawn and its alignment with the other continents.

"You two don't have to hide it anymore, even if your family enjoys such sports." Her mother's wink furthered Erica's embarrassment. "The both of you can be together after school whenever you want, no need for silly excuses."

Unexpectedly, her mother backed up and shut the door in Erica's face. She leaned her forehead against the cold and now closed front door trying to soothe her red face.

From behind her, she heard the most wonderful sound. Jasper was laughing.

"Alice said that your mother would do something like this, but I assumed your mother simply put the pretense together." She felt silly, seeing his words as taunts.

"_Look, I only said those things because I wanted to impress Lidia." _She offered the pitiful excuse.

He only raised a brow at her comment.

"_Lidia is my stepmother." _Erica clarified, "_My stepmother who had an actual life in High School. I just wanted to be someone else for a moment to her. "_

"Someone else?" His persistent questions were beginning to bother her, causing her twitching to become more rigid.

"_I'm sorry for dragging you into that." _She ignored his question. "_Technically I didn't even mention _this_ you._"

Jasper rolled his golden eyes at her. "Human or not, I do believe I'm the same person."

She scoffed internally at that. "_I barely even gave you both the same traits."_

"Your mother seemed to put us both together just fine, even with the 'differences.'" His display at anything but a serious tone caused a smile to play at her face.

Her warm cheeks and frazzled hair, from playing with it too much, did nothing to lessen her comfort around him. It seemed that she was always relaxed around him. It was strange, especially since whenever she wasn't in close proximity, she wouldn't revel in the idea of being near him.

"_How do you do that?_" She asked dumbly, looking at him with unveiled wonder.

His head titled to the side before speaking. "I didn't think you'd notice."

"_Notice what_?" Erica pressed, stepping closer.

With other people, she could feel their body heat, with the Cullens she felt the exact opposite of others warmth. It was peculiar, but not concerning given what she knew already.

He looked hesitant to speak, pondering over the consequences of telling her. Jasper must have decided that she could know what he meant, opening his mouth and informing her.

"Edward has the ability of telepathy, while Alice has precognition, and I have pathokinesis." There was obvious reluctance in his voice, especially near the end of his sentence.

Erica nodded her head, struck with a realization that should have been obvious. _"That explains so much. No wonder I feel so at ease. It leaves immediately after you're not near._"

There was nothing sentimental about her statement, yet she still felt embarrassed.

He didn't say anything and she realized just how close she was to him. With her shorter, average depending on the company, her nose almost brushed against his chest. Looking up through her unkempt hair, she could see herself reflected back in his eyes. The deep brown color was almost black, even with the porch lights assistant.

"Yes, that is a limitation to my ability." He told her, breaking the silence.

Her heart hammered away in her chest with the abrupt break, completely forgetting what she had said before. So she only nodded, backing only a step away.

"_See you in history_." She said finally, finding the words to say.

Her already poised fingers rose up slightly, imitating a halfhearted wave. With a small smile tugging at one corner of her mouth, she turned around and went inside. She didn't hear him, behind the wooden door, but after a moment could hear the engine of his car. Confident he was gone; she placed a hand on her rapidly beating heart. The calm may have left, but it was replaced with something that she just couldn't place, no matter how hard she tried to determine what it was.

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**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter. I was honestly so nervous concerning her and Jasper, I really just didn't want to finish it and have everyone hate it. **

**Gigantic thank you to those who have followed/ favorited/ reviewed. It's nearly two hundred (just wow) for the follower amount, almost one hundred for favorites (again wow) and I'm almost to seventy on my review count. I'm breathless. Thank you so much for this. **

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**Jacobslover2014: I think for Amy I do want to incorporate a love story, whether it interrupts a canon pair is undecided. Thank you so much for the review and interest in Amy! I will definitely be making y'all aware once I figure it out for her. :)**

**glowgreen4me: Thank you! Carlisle will be coming up in the next one, hopefully. **

**NorseGoddess23: Haha! This was so fun to read. I'm glad someone was frustrated over the abrupt ending! :D Hope you enjoy the continuation. **

**SheikahLover: It's fine, honestly. You always express liking the chapters before I post them. :) I'm still so sorry I didn't get this sooner, thank you for putting up with that, haha. :) Hopefully you enjoyed the interaction between Erica and Jasper. I can't wwait to add more Amy and Edward, even if it only amounts to flirting and nothing more. Who knows, Edward could even end up humoring her. ;D I'm glad that Esme was still in character, I just loved them together. Thank you so much! **

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**Don't forget to review! I really want to hear what you think of this chapter especially. **


	15. Chapter 15: Pure Elation

**Gigantic shout out to my beta, SheikahLover! She's just amazing when it comes to fixing the errors and just developing a sentence more. **

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Chapter 15:

It was impossible, Erica concluded. The feeling that plagued her ever since Jasper left had yet to waver. If anything, it was greater than when she remained in his presence. Now that she could stop and attempt to realize how long it had been that caused the emotion to fester even further. In the privacy of her own room, she could actually let herself enjoy the feeling. To say the least, it was a difficult emotion—no _sensation _to describe. To Erica, the best words she could think up to express the feeling were that it was a combination of lightness and heaviness, with a mixture of daunting and carefree. Together it was both wonderful and dreadful. Simultaneously Erica both hated and loved it. It left her wonderstruck, to feel such things stemming from a small pit in her body that seemed to flourish and stem to the tips of her hair follicles to the ends of her toes.

It was no new revelation to Erica that she had never felt something remotely similar to it before. If she had to place the sentiment, she didn't believe she would ever be able to label it correctly. To feel something so confusing, but not completely unwanted, was bewildering to her. She wondered if this was how other average students felt , particularly around Jasper, and wanted to know what it meant.

But she also wanted to keep it to herself, holding it close to her heart like a secret. A secret that she wouldn't tell anyone about, mainly because she wanted to study it as long as she could without revealing it to the rest of the world.

She recognized that the sentiment was new, something she didn't feel until she was alone with Jasper. If she didn't know better, she would assume she had a small crush on him. Something so ridiculous couldn't stem such a large reaction.

Though Erica understood that it wasn't a large infatuation, rather something that had the potential to grow and fester into what she felt so heightened at the moment.

"It makes sense." Amy stated, sitting on Erica's bed.

Erica had given in to her won curiousness, releasing her newfound feelings out from the tightening grasps of her chest and onto her best friend somewhat reluctantly.

This time though, luck was thankfully on Erica's side, as she was given an easy enough excuse that explained the need of having Amy stay over late into the evening before the start of the school week.

"_It does?_" Erica questioned dubiously, brushing her hair away from her face.

She watched Amy nod, sure of herself. "Yeah, the Cullen's obviously used some magical spell to corrupt your prudish mind."

Any hope deflated, as Erica was sure it reflected on her face. "_That's not funny._"

"It kind of is." Amy laughed to herself. "Look, Erica, you aren't the type to act like this. If I didn't know you as well as I do, I would have assumed you wanted to live your life with fifty and a half cats and call it a day."

The brunette ignored her glare. Amy patted her shoulder, in an almost condescending way. "Jasper is attractive and embodies something you don't understand, so of course you like him."

Erica shook her head, denying the statement. "_I've only spoken, like, ten words to him. It's not realistic; those feelings can't happen that fast._"

"Well, how exactly do you feel?" Amy inquired.

"_Interested, definitely," _Erica began. "_The whole mystery surrounding them is just amazing, especially when I'm a part of it._"

Amy stood up straighter. "What do you mean, 'a part of it'?"

Erica bit her lip, pondering if she should share what she knew. "_… Yeah, Alice said that I played some sort of part. I don't know what she meant by that thought. But right now, it's not important." _She shrugged it off and continued. "_I know I like him. Nothing more, nothing less …_"

"Well, damn, that's boring." Amy announced, her shoulders slumping in disappointment. "I was hoping for some big love confession, but I'll take what I can get."

"_Some big love confession_?" repeated Erica, heatedly.

Amy snorted and waved her off with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Don't you ever pay attention to the movies I bring over?"

She continued with the prompt of Erica's blank expression. "Do I have to narrow it down for you? The shy girl, that's _you_, is supposed to be head over heels for the super attractive quiet guy, that's _Jasper_, in this case. "

It sounded ridiculous to Erica, the idea that her life was ticking all of the boxes on a cliché checklist. "_That's just unreasonable."_

To fall in love with someone so instantaneous, the idea of it was just plain silly to Erica.

"He's attractive; you're the girl next door!" Amy continued in an attempt to stand her ground. "C'mon Eri, this is my moment to be the witty best friend in your movie that titled _Your Life._ " Amy shouted, dropping her hands to her chest in a dramatic motion.

Erica watched Amy peek one eye open through the gaps of her left fingers. "Do you think I can get someone like Lauren or Jessica to be your enemy? Rosalie just seems _too _mean, so I wouldn't want—"

_"Hey, whoa, hey, don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself?_" She interrupted, her eyebrows raised far above her hairline.

"No." It was Amy's turn to look at her blankly. "Anyway, I think that if you—"

Erica jumped of the bed, startling her dog that lay down in the corner of the room. "_Look, no more talk about Jasper. Or any of _this_. If I knew you'd react this way, I would have just gone to bed."_

She sat back down with a huff, breathing as heavy as one did after an outburst, however loud or silent it was. As her spirited high fell, the remorse settled inside her. She could feel Amy staring at her from across the bed. Erica regretted speaking in such a way, especially to Amy. But she couldn't bring herself to not feel sorry for calling Amy that , as bad as it may have sounded in the moment. She expected her friend to simply give her a shove and tell her to cease being stupid. Not make her realize things… in the way only Amy could.

"The tension between you two is obviously causing you some distress." Amy pointed out mildly, smirking after a long pause. "Maybe you should just kiss him and move on with it. After all, this pining stuff is getting old pretty fast. "

"_Amelia Clear!"_

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She knew that she would be late to school, a fate that was currently unavoidable. After Amy left her home, Erica had spent another few hours up doing her homework. She quickly realized that all her time "studying" with the Cullen's was taking up the time she could use to actually study. It didn't concern her that much; she could do any additional studying on the weekend with her father and stepmother.

While she wasn't fairly bothered by her newfound after school habits, Erica found herself worrying over her weekend stay at her father's complex. She didn't care what the Cullen's had to say about it; in fact she didn't even consider telling them at all. It wasn't their business. What she was worried about was her parents and the assumed relationship they thought was thriving between Jasper and her.

It was easy to picture the wide smile on her stepmother's face, pinching at her eyes and cheeks. Then she would ask questions, the annoying queries she wouldn't be able to answer without some form of an embarrassing answer that would only make the situation worse. Erica had already crawled herself into a hole six feet deep, it was only a matter of time before she sealed the coffin and floated down the river in it to the middle of the nearest Ocean.

"Are you planning on leaving anytime soon?" Her mother walked into the room, still putting on her tan blazer.

Erica sheepishly ducked her head. "_Sorry, yeah, I was just waiting to see if the rain would lighten up._"

It was half of the truth, the rain had been fairly heavy for the morning, but that wasn't why she was delaying herself.

"Ha! Well, why don't you just ask your boyfriend to give you a ride to school?" Her mother jovially asked, turning her back to her daughter as she opened the refrigerator.

With a sigh, Erica ran a hand down her face. That was what she was truly trying to avoid, seeing Jasper. She had a decent grasp on the Cullen family's morning schedule, arriving more early enough in the mornings to deduce they both arrived at similar times. Now she resorted to hiding in her home for ten more minutes, risking a detention in pre-calculus, just to hide away from a silly crush.

She was pathetic.

"_No, he leaves earlier than I do._" Now she was lying to her mother, because of a boy.

Heather tsked, absently pulling out a carton of almond milk. "Either way, you have to get to school, honey."

Erica nodded her head, now that her mother was turned around. She picked up her backpack from the ground, pretending not to notice the glass full of plain almond milk that her mother sat in front of her on the table.

"_Like you said, I've got to go to school. Love you!" _Erica patted her mother's head as she scurried out of the house.

Immediately, she felt the thicker rain fall onto her head heavily. Rapid embarrassment colored her cheeks as she sheepishly put her yellow hood on her head. At least she had the common sense to wear the sunny rain jacket during heavy raining mornings, though she still had to remember to utilize it properly.

After a brief ten minute trek on the path, she was padding her way through the car lot. As she expected, the big lot was lacking the small plethora of other students. Squinting her eyes, she could see some of them through the various classroom windows. Despite knowing she could be gifted with a detention for Monday, she smiled with the knowledge that she successfully dodged any confrontation with Jasper.

"That was very sneaky of you."

Erica tensed up, her foot barely stepping into the school hall. As she looked up from her feet, she saw Alice standing in front of her, sporting a much more intricate raincoat.

"_Hi Alice,_" Erica replied, instead of addressing the darker haired girl's statement.

Alice smiled widely, propping a hand on her slim hip. "I almost, _almost_, didn't catch your decision to be late to school. It's a good thing I had the misfortune of 'accidentally' forgetting my textbook in my locker."

Erica returned the smile nervously, running a hand through her thankfully dry hair. "_Wow, life's funny that way. Well, I better get to class."_

As Erica went to side step her, a tiny pale hand grasped her elbow lightly.

"Listen Erica, you can be comforted in the fact that I know why you were late this morning." Alice beamed up at her, winking conspiringly.

Erica, understanding what she meant, shrugged off the contact with a paling face. "_Oh no, I'm late for pre-calc. Bye Alice!"_

With a mock-excited wave, Erica hurriedly walked down the hall. She could just feel her smile still on her. It would be a lie if Erica said she wasn't tempted to discuss the matter with Alice, knowing that she could understand better than anyone, even Erica herself. But she shook the thought away, focusing on school for the moment. Ridiculous crushes could be addressed later. From now until the end of the day, school comes first.

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Luckily for her, she breezed through five periods until her next brush with a Cullen. She saw them briefly during the lunch period, but only when she peeked through the door as she walked towards the library to eat her food. Again, she was fulfilling a cliché in Amy's third person view of a romantic film. Her close friend trailed behind her, trilling on about how exciting it was to see her friend hideaway like a love struck character found in any romantic comedy. Amy received a heavy roll of the eyes in return for her commentary.

Now she was on her way to history class.

Dread was an expected emotion, but what startled her was the slight excitement. Erica was looking forward to seeing Jasper; it was odd to feel such a thing before something she did regularly.

Maybe the new sentiment was brought on by her acceptance of the fondness she now associated with Jasper. She didn't exactly deny she hold's him in that newfound light that seemed to embed itself within her not too long after their discussion in his car. Actually, it seemed the little buzz in her mind was growing on her. She enjoyed thinking about Jasper in that way. She might even want to know him better, become closer to him… That is, _if_ he would let her.

It was stupid of her to feel that way, especially when she remembered the stark contrast between the two. He was not a human, and Erica was only a simple mortal. She doubted them both being classified as blondes made them compatible. As she thought about it more, Jasper and her seemed too different. He was gorgeous, a fact Erica felt comfortable in admitting regardless of how red it made her face turn. He simply stood with an aura of something akin to magic. She, however, was just a plain girl. In the right lighting she could admit she was pretty, but there was still nothing interesting about her, putting the mutism aside. Compared to him, or any of the Cullen's, Erica might as well been a speck of dust floating in the air beside them.

It didn't upset her in the slightest, acknowledging that she would never be able to even form a proper friendship with him. It was an obvious conclusion, an abrupt ending to the fable, as Amy believed, that would remain that: a fable.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Amy questioned dubiously, leading the way to history class.

Erica nodded her head, moving closer to sign. _"Why? Do I not look ready? Because I definitely am."_

Her taller friend snorted loudly, covering her face as several students looked in their direction.

"Yeah, because the lingering scent of dusty books and stale air really sets the tone for your statement."

"Face it dear, you're too afraid to see him." Amy titled her head. "Maybe you're afraid your inner desire isn't under control and you'll jump a table to make out with him."

A dry look was cast between the pair.

_"It's a wonder why we're friends."_ Erica replied, jabbing her elbow against Amy's arm.

Amy responded while grasping onto Erica's arm, "Because that visual was oddly thrilling to you."

Erica pondered that for a moment before deciding to nod in agreement.

"See," The brunette smiled widely. "Now you just have to profess your undying love to him."

"Who's Erica professing her love to?" Someone chimed from behind them.

Both girls turned around seeing Felicity Jones beaming at them. Felicity was Erica's desk mate, until Jasper convinced her to switch with him. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a long braid, keeping it from obscuring her large thick rimmed glasses. While she smiled at the two, Erica could see the gap between two of her lower teeth. She was nice, at the very least being there when Erica needed notes or assistance in answering a question. History was the only class Erica had with her, since Felicity was only a junior.

Erica waved to the girl, the universal sign for a greeting.

Amy was far more energetic. "Our little Erica here is completely enamored with—"

A clammy hand tightly wrapped itself over Amy's mouth, ceasing what she was about to say. Attached to that hand was the rest of Erica's body. Deep, weighted breathes escaped her body. Her wide eyes betrayed both her panic and the truth in the tease.

"_It's nothing_. _Amy's just being silly_." She shoved her forearm over Amy, signing frantically and forgetting that Felicity wouldn't understand.

Amy didn't get to say another word, the shorter girl pulling her away with sudden strength. As Erica tugged her friend along, she heard muffled bursts of indignation. She ignored them, only releasing Amy once they were outside the classroom door.

"_Listen, don't say a thing. Do you understand Amelia Clear?"_ Erica brought their faces close together, her wide eyes stressing her statement.

Amy nonchalantly rolled her eyes in return, standing up straighter. "Please, Erica. No one in all of Forks besides me and your mom cares if you have the hots for—"

Erica hurriedly shushed her, looking back at the classroom door. "_First, ow. Second, _he _can hear _you_."_

Her friend didn't seem to care about Erica's concern, looking excited. "Does that mean he knows about you wanting to—"

"Shush!"

"Ahem, girls!" they both tensed up, looking at the now open classroom door. "Now I don't know if either of you realized, but the doors here aren't exactly sound proof."

Erica wished she could jump out a window, but the nearest one was on the end of the classroom. She would have to face more embarrassment if she wanted to fling her body into nothingness. From behind Mr. Doyle's larger body, she could see her fellow peers snickering into their sleeves or to their desk mates. Beside her, Amy took it in stride and confidence.

"Of course, Mr. Doyle, I'm sure Erica will be happy to explain what's going on." With those words, Amy strutted past their teacher and took her place beside Mia Cooper.

Mr. Doyle ran a hand down his sweaty face, skidding over where hair once was. He didn't even look at the mute girl in front of him, instead opting to return to his desk.

"I'd give you both detention for Monday, but Miss Morgan here already has one scheduled." He sounded exhausted. "You, Miss Clear, will have one as well."

Erica didn't need anything else said to know she should take her seat. She kept her head aimed towards her feet as she walked between the aisles. When she lifted her eyes, she could see Jasper simply staring at his history book. He looked bored.

Well, he did, until he looked up to meet her eyes. She would like to say that he lit up, or even smiled at her. Instead, he kept the same monotone and very intimidating expression on his face. But maybe she could convince herself that it softened, just for a moment.

She didn't acknowledge him, trying to avoid her own chemical reaction around him. There was an overwhelming desire to sign something to him. She could delve into that urge.

"_Hey_." She waved, careful to keep it out of Mr. Doyle's eyesight.

She smiled slightly when he returned the same sign.

"_I don't know if Alice told you, but I'm going to be away for later today and the entire weekend."_ She told him, watching his face as his eyes scanned over her hands.

Her smile grew slightly, when his darker gold eyes met her hazel ones again. She wondered what kind of paint she would need to capture the mysterious hue. A simple yellow or brown wouldn't be able to compare to the rich golden tones in front of her.

He furrowed his eyebrows and for a brief moment she was worried that she had stared too long, until she realized he wanted her to elaborate.

"_I spend Friday to Sunday with my father._" She clarified, separating her eyes from his face to make sure they wouldn't get caught.

"It seems my turn with you will have to wait then." He spoke lowly, angling his head down towards his book.

There was a moment where she feared her elation showed on her face, but then she remembered that he would sense it anyway. Erica found she didn't mind. Nothing could come out of her feelings, so there wasn't any harm in enjoying them.

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**A/N: Whoa! You guys, I've made it to 72 reviews, 203 follows, and 103 favorites. Also, I've, with the addtion of ****SheikahLover, have made it to forty thousand words. That's crazy! ****Not to mention the hundreds that read the story daily. That is just so unfathomable. Three years ago, back when I would write unpublished fanfiction, I used to envy authors that could post online and get so much support. Now that I do it myself, I'm reduced to tears seeing that I have gathered this much support already. I know it's nothing compared to a lot of authors, but I'm just so grateful. Thank you.**

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**Jacobslover2014: Thank you for sticking with the story, even though I'm so late the last two times! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Littlesassafras: Wow! Thank you so much! Yeah, I definitely need to work on including her feelings as well as actions. But luckily, this chapter sets it up for me to do so in the next. As for Amy, she still believes it's all some silly game for her to watch and coo over. Once Bella starts stirring crap up, then Amy will realize things aren't all just kicks and giggles.**

**Spirit Kiss: I know! What keeps me going is silently mocking them as they "hate" each other or are developing a friendship. Whenever I'm typing I can't help the "shut up Jasper, she is the greatest good you will ever get, stop glaring." **

**SheikahLover :Thank you! I know, poor Erica. She's going to be reduced to a puddle of silent( ha ha or no) tears and emotions when I'm through with her. Heather is just as giddy as Amy, maybe more so. She's so fun to write, such a free spirit. I doubt she even cares he's a Cullen, Jasper is just so adorable. I just can't wait to write more scenes with the three of them. :P**

**WaveMoon: Thank you, that is some awesome dedication. I agree, Jasper and Alice are my OTP, I could never bash her. Thank you so much! I constantly worry about her becoming a Mary Sue. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :) **

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**Thank you so much everyone! Don't forget to review your thoughts on the chapter! **


	16. Chapter 16: Education

**Sadly, I'm only posting a filler. But rest assured, the next chapter might be a great one... I say might because I still need to write it. **

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**Thank you so much to SheikahLover, you're an amazing beta! :)**

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Chapter 16:

There wasn't any awkward tension, as Erica was misled to believe, from all the books she had read throughout her preteen and teenage years thus far. Usually the main character, which would be her, was horribly uncomfortable while in an enclosed space with her parents, right after they discovered her newly emerged femininity regarding the male gender. Even with a lightly strained relationship with that set of parents, they were surprisingly quite comfortable with discussing her newly established relationship and possible... _emerging _lifestyle.

"Now Erica," her stepmother beamed widely, pressing a hand to her high cheekbone. "You can talk to us about anything. If you have any questions on homework, friends, your intimacy—"

"_I'm sorry, what was that last thing?" _Erica interrupted, incredulously staring at Lidia.

Her stepmother wolfishly smiled, reaching across the glass table to pat Erica's hand. "Sweetie, I like to consider myself quite progressive when it comes to you. We can talk about anything… maybe starting with that new boyfriend of yours."

Erica felt sick, vaguely listening as her stepmother went on to discussing "safe practices." Her mouth felt like it was permanently down turned, primarily in a disgusted scowl. There seemed to be no limit on how wide her eyes could become, or how high she could raise her eyebrows.

When Lidia moved to grab photos of different transmitted diseases she seemed to have recently printed from various medical websites, Erica grabbed onto her hand. There had to be some limit to the torture her stepmother could deliver.

"_No, no, no, no._" She all but pushed her stepmother back into the expensive dining chair. "_No more of _that_._ "

"_What did I ever do to deserve that—_that _discussion?"_ She wished she could properly express the amount of teenage revulsion she felt bubbling inside the pit of her stomach and forming inside her entire mouth.

To her surprise, Lidia's smile widened. "I've never felt so much like a mother until now."

She was giddy, to Erica's shock. Lidia seemed quite happy and pleased with herself, even after saying such mortifying things. It seemed while Amy was trying to watch a teen romance comedy, Lidia was fulfilling the parental warmth one could find in a cheesy made for television movie designated towards the preteen audience.

Playing it off as the teenager she was, Erica crinkled her nose up. "_You're being ridiculous."_

"I suppose I am." Lidia agreed, scrunching her nose up as well. " I guess I've just always wanted to be _that _mom, the one who can gossip about boys with her daughter. You just never expressed any interest in any of that stuff, unless I directly spoke about it."

She could only stare back at her stepmother, the closest to a feminine figure that had been in her life for ten years, in slight shock. Sure her mother would always be the only one she called so, but truthfully Erica didn't think she could survive the hardcore vegan without Lidia. Her stepmother was the one that let her play with lipstick after her mother told her she wasn't allowed to touch the stuff. Even when Heather decided Erica wasn't allowed to drive, Lidia and her father spent a whole month of summer teaching her how to.

Erica never realized how much of it was Lidia seeking out the life experiences and not her, until this very moment.

"_... So, what's for dinner?_" It was getting too emotional for her, plus she was still reeling from the sex education her stepmother tried to teach her, much to her horror. If only she realized that Erica went through that ordeal back in freshman year.

The change of subject didn't seem to bother Lidia, but Erica could see how tightly she held onto the edge of the small table.

"Oh, I just figured we would go out for some Thai food." Lidia smiled, stretching out her red colored lips.

There wasn't anything left to say, so Erica didn't bother telling her that she didn't think she could eat after the _talk_ that Lidia gave.

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling me that your stepmom gave you the _Talk_?" Amy asked loudly, pressing her fist against her mouth. "That's hysterical! I can't even imagine being you right then!"

Erica watched as Amy fell off the couch, laughing loudly and snorting with broken gibberish.

It was Sunday night, two days after the eventful talk with her stepmother. Thankfully, nothing as eventful as Friday night happened. The most fun she had was walking around the block after her father decided to give her his own lecture. Luckily, the weekend went by fast.

"_It's not funny. You try being in that situation with a med school dropout._" She pressed her foot against Amy's shoulder, gathering her attention.

"What did she think, you were thirteen again?!" Amy said through her laughter, trying to pull her body back onto the couch but with little success.

Erica simply sat back on the couch, watching as her friend attempted to sit up straight, only to fall back in her clumsy amusement.

"_Ha ha, while this had been fun_, _it's not the reason I called you here._"

Amy silenced herself, sobering up. "Lay it on me, Morgan."

"_It's about Jasper—"_

"Eeep! I knew it!" Amy gushed, leaning closer. "Did you find him after school on Friday and blow him away with your charming art facts!"

"_No you dork!_" Erica said with a roll of her eyes. "_I just wanted to do the girly thing, I wanted to—"_

"Talk about the way his hair looks incredible? Mention the fact that you guys could make attractive children. Oh! Dibs on being godmother!" Amy supplied, smiling widely as she did.

Erica felt ridiculous, even more than how she behaved on Friday. She almost wished she was still listening to Lidia's speech again. Heck, she'd take anything to escape Amy's horrible ideas.

Instead she nodded her head. "_Something like that. Though not as expressive._"

A shrill squeal followed the end of Erica's sentence. The tall brunette fell back to the floor, this time grasping a pillow to her chest.

"Ah! My little baby has grown up!" The pillow was lifted over her face as she squealed again.

Even through the barrier of the pillow, Erica could still hear her. "I thought I would never see the day when Erica Morgan wanted to talk about boys."

Rolling her eyes again, Erica stretched her leg out to kick the pillow away. "_God Amy, do you want to talk about, uh, Jasper's unbelievable hair or not?"_

"Actually, I said incredible." Amy corrected. "But who cares! Ah!"

She watched her best friend kick her feet up into the air. The sight, and the previous antics, was more than enough to get Erica to laugh along with her. A part of her was even tempted to roll around, similar to the display Amy was putting on. But she had a bit more dignity than Amy, apparently.

Erica kicked her gently once more, to gather her attention. "_Are you done yet?"_

Amy rolled her eyes, waving her hand around. "Yes, yes."

"So," She started, drawing the word out. "You want to talk about boys. Boys like Jasper."

Erica regretted this with all her might. Oh yes, she so did.

"Or should I say, _men._" Her voice dropped deeply. "_Men _like _Jasper._"

"_I hate you sometimes."_

"Ah, ah, ah no you don't." Amy chortled.

"_Can we just—"_

"Not until you say, 'I, Erica, am attracted to Jasper Cullen.'" She stated, standing up to loom over Erica.

"_Actually it's _Hale_."_ She diverted, in an attempt to not sign the words.

Her friend rolled her blue eyes again. "Say it."

"_I don't think that's necessary."_

"Say it! Say it! Say it!"

"_What are you, five years old?" _Erica scoffed, her face flushed.

Before Amy could retort, the sound of a bedroom door being shut interrupted them. Both girls tensed, Amy promptly sitting down on the couch.

"What is going on here?" Her mother questioned sternly, her hands folded over her chest.

"Erica won't admit she finds Jasper Cu-Hale hot."

Her mother's eyes narrowed, looking between the two girls. "Well, she wouldn't be dating him if she didn't find him remotely good-looking."

Erica's hand collided with her face, in a vain, and rather sad attempt to hide. Right now, she seriously wished that she could fall into the space between the couch cushions, disappearing like pocket change. Or be like an ostrich and bury her face in the sand, even though her entire body would still be noticeable... but at least not her head. While she may have told Amy about her crush on Jasper and the weekend stay at her father's house, she was still withholding that both sets of her parents assumed she was actually "involved" with him.

"I'm sorry, Erica is dating who?" Though she poised it as a question, Amy smiled knowingly.

Her mother gave a weary sighed. "It's too late for this. Good night girls."

Erica didn't stray her eyes away from the doorway that connected to the hallway. She couldn't bring herself to see Amy's reaction. Mortified didn't begin to cover what she felt.

" _You're_ dating Jasper?!" shouted Amy, falling back to the floor. "This is golden!"

"How did your mother even conclude that?" Amy snorted. "You can't even admit you might actually want to date him to me."

"_It was an accident!" _Erica defended herself weakly.

Amy snorted again. "Sure it was, Erica."

She gasped loudly. "_I didn't do it on purpose."_

The room felt increasingly warm now, her face radiating her embarrassment.

Amy winked at her. "It's okay Erica, no need to be ashamed. Jasper is one fine piece of— "

A pillow colliding with her face muffled the rest of her statement. Erica smiled victoriously at the sight. Now at ease, she could simply enjoy the rest of her Sunday, with no more horrifically embarrassing moments. At least until she remembered tomorrow she would see Jasper again. Then she inwardly felt like screaming and dreaded returning to school with all her might.

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**A/N: I hope y'all enjoy the chapter, despite it being a filler. Also, early happy International Ice Cream Day! It's on the nineteenth and I'm not sure if my next update will fall this close to it. **

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**Jacobslover2014: Thank you, for the reassurance. :) I, too, can't wait for them to be an actual couple. It's killin' me, but maybe I could write silly AU make out sessions between them. **

**SheikahLover: Thank you! I'm glad to hear the positive feedback for the speed I've been taking on their relationship. I, admittedly, was very afraid to write her such feelings, so it's really reassuring to know it didn't sound completely silly. Well, as for her stepmom, I hope this chapter did it a quick justice. Haha! I can't wait for Lidia to see Jasper. She's gonna be such a dork. Thank you so much for the support! :)**

**Ahem Brackets: Thank you! Haha, yeah it just didn't sit well with me to even picture the Cullen's being her only company. Bella can do what she wants, but Erica won't easily become so focused on the Cullen coven. Haha thank you, the realism was something I feared, even if it's revolving around a vampire family. **

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**Review, if you can! **


	17. Chapter 17: Kicks and Giggles

**Thank you, thank you, to the amazing support of my beta ****SheikahLover! She's honestly what makes this story run so smoothly. **

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Chapter 17:

The Monday Erica had been dreading was finally upon her. She had barely eaten the breakfast her mother made, though she usually chose not to finish the tofu scramble for obvious reasons. Something about tofu mashed together with sprouts in a skillet didn't settle well with her stomach. But she was going to blame Jasper for any stress instead. It made her feel better, for in the mind of any angst filled teenager, having someone to blame your anguish on was always good.

Maybe Amy was right, Erica could deeply want to be with him. That could be what was driving her mind to pound, and hurt her head like heck. No, she knew that couldn't be what seemed frighten her nerves. Perhaps it was the stubborn denial of her affections for him. Constantly denying her fondness of his person while giddily signing his name was what weighted her mind down. It was the most plausible.

She felt ridiculous, it would just be better if she hadn't developed any of those feelings.

"Are you feeling alright?" Amy Clear questioned, placing a freckled hand against Erica's sweaty forehead.

The two best friends were walking to their fifth period class together. Every now and then, their backpacks collided in a scrape of fabric. The noise screeched distantly in Erica's ears. She could hardly pay attention to what Amy was saying, the horrendously loud noise of her footsteps echoing up her skeleton made her head spin. She was so out of it, that she almost didn't feel Amy tug her away from the potential collide between her and the steel drinking fountain.

"_Sorry, I suppose I'm a bit distracted._" Erica replied sheepishly, pulling her cropped hair back haphazardly afterwards.

Amy shook her head defiantly, causing little tuffs of frizz to appear at the crown of her bangs.

"No, distracted would be you handing me your pre-calculus homework instead of my lunch bag. Like _earlier_," She teasingly glared. "You're full blown addled, Eri."

A snort tore out of her nose, as she stopped walking to stare at her friend. The thudding of her feet stopped, only to be replaced by her strong heartbeat. Her hazel eyes forcefully shut several times, clearing her head slightly.

"_In my defense, it did remind you that we need to do pages thirty-six through fourth-two tonight_." Erica lightly tapped her school bag. "_Which is more important, a turkey sandwich or your future?"_

"My sandwich, obviously!" the brunette all but growled. "I won't be able to achieve being a world famous marine biologist when I've died from starvation."

Erica rolled her eyes, continuing her stride once more. Despite the warning bell having already been rung, students still populated the hallways. She wondered if they had similar class placements, with some studies being on either side of the school. Though that didn't seem to be the case for the several couples that occupied themselves against the lockers. At that sight, she moved her feet faster away from them.

"Ugh," Amy scoffed, scrunching her nose up. "I can just smell the hormones."

Erica smiled slightly. "_Shut up, you love cheesy high school things like that._"

"No, I only enjoy it when my best friend is living the moments." Amy corrected, bumping her shoulder into Erica's. "I could care less about a Lauren Mallory wannabe doing that stuff."

Erica rolled her eyes at that. Amy had to be the biggest hopeless romantic in Forks, especially if she believed that Erica would end up being _that _close with Jasper. The thought itself was almost funny; she couldn't even see Jasper hugging her let alone doing _that _in a public hallway. Even if he wasn't an immortal nonhuman, Erica simply had no chance at ever being with him.

"_Please Amy, I don't even think my spine bends that way." _She replied lightly, ignoring the urge to argue against Amy.

Her friend snorted, almost stopping completely to gawk at the pair. "I don't know… you're pretty spindly."

"_Is that something you think of often?_"

Amy placed a hand against her heart, frowning. "You wound me, Erica Morgan."

"_Shut up._" She bumped her shoulder into Amy's arm.

"No seriously, I'm feeling both hurt and insecure." Amy told her as they walked into the art classroom.

Miss Taylor was already passing out a generic flyer that she gave them every Monday. The paper held their requirements for the week. It was their teacher's way of homework. A student could decide to space out the six assignments throughout the course of the week and weekend or condense it into as few days as possible. Erica hoped the assignments would be fun; those were the ones she would complete in three days. Their teacher didn't mind the female duo being slightly late as she knew they had a walk that took more than the allotted five minutes provided.

Just as art class was Erica's favorite time of the day, Miss Taylor was also her favorite teacher. The woman was barely older than her students, though she still acted like the responsible forty-something faculty member the other teachers were. But, Miss Taylor was just _better_. Her curly black hair was always pulled back with a thick tan headband , which made her forehead very large, but that just added to her character. Instead of a traditional semi-professional work outfit, she had a thick and dirty apron over her grey slacks and plain blue shirt. The best part, in Erica's opinion, was that she always smiled and looked genuinely happy to teach all of her students.

"Good morning, Miss Taylor." Amy said for both of them, following as Erica led them to their usual double desk.

The teacher nodded back at them, starting her morning lesson. "Okay everyone, I'll assume you've all looked at the syllabus and know what I'm about to say."

Erica understood the underlining direction to look down at her weeks outline, following the other students. There was definitely a theme in her work this time, as she noticed that all six assignments had something to do with a skeleton of some sort.

"The skeleton is something that can be simply overlooked in art, unless it's used for a deeper meaning, such as death or the sketches of the human anatomy. " She began to pace the classroom. "But I want you to embrace the skeleton, the basic frame of your muse. For example, assignment one is 'interpretation of the skeletal system: everyday.' You can make this as silly or specific as you want, but it has to be based on your muse's everyday work."

Erica watched as she pulled a sheet of paper off her desk. On the paper, there was an obvious skeleton, but it was in the position of someone typing at a bulky computer. As Erica studied it more, she noticed that the skull was more elongated, almost like a ponytail. The bones on the legs were longer than what she saw in the science class model and the bones of her feet were nothing more than small detailed dashes. What made the sketch was the boldly colored blue dress hanging haphazardly off the skeleton and the same colored bow at the base of the elongated skull.

"This is my sister, Anna. Hopefully you can work out what she is doing, or maybe even that she was a female." She put the picture down, pulling out a small 3x5 glossy camera photo.

In the photo, Anna was indeed sitting at a computer. She had a dark colored small pony tail against her neck, the bow in a similar position as the sketch. Her feet were very small, not shoe covered and almost as small as the hands on the keyboard. In the picture her dress also fit her body much better, with skin and small amounts of fat to hold it up.

"Now I know that not everyone is at the same level, if you feel that is you, know that I simply want your levels interpretation." Miss Taylor told them before starting a tangent on why the color cream was useful.

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He truly was something entirely foreign to her. From the emotions he invoked to even the distinction between him and his family, it drew her towards him. She wanted to always feel the rush of giddy fondness, the lively new emotion she'd become accustomed to from being around him and his family. But Erica wasn't naive enough to believe those emotions could develop with the assistance of his own affections, but she was afraid that while hers intensified, his would continue to be nonexistent. She could be content knowing it was nothing more than platonic, but she couldn't doubt her own emotions would stay in the crush zone forever. There was a possibility that one day she would feel something more.

The closeness between Jasper and her definitely was not aiding her inner turmoil. Absurdly, she found herself admiring his profile. While she did enjoy looking at the peculiar shade in his eyes, the slope of his nose and corner of his standard serious frown was nice as well. His hair was quite funny, at least to her own bubbling and brewing emotions. Sometimes it was curly and sat higher on his face, while other times it was longer and straighter. Either way, it was indescribably perfect. Just like the other Cullen members.

It was very strange, looking at him while vaguely knowing the truth of his mortality. She'd watched them for almost four years as they deceived everyone into believing they were a simple family brought together by adoption. Honestly, she was confused at how no one besides her and Amy managed to see these things. Even then, Amy and she only saw because the cold truth was startling obvious with undeniable facts.

Recently, she wished that he was just a simple human who held a likeness to a long dead soldier. Then she would actually be able to delude herself into the pretense of her having a chance at sparking a relationship.

While she was lost in her musings, a small dull pain suddenly bloomed on her shoulder. Reflexively, Erica looked down and found a coincidentally placed wad of paper. Shifting her head more, Erica could see Amy smiling back at her. Next to her, Mia Cooper raised her thumbs up and smiled energetically. Erica snorted softly at the two, finding amusement in their behavior.

With her face turned back towards Mr. Doyle's stained white board, she lowered her right arm closer to the ground and the note. Her fingers skimmed loosely over the generic blue carpet a few moments before she felt the sharp corners of paper. Smiling to herself with pride, her fist closed around the note. For extra precaution, she looked down briefly and retied her gray canvas shoe. Returning back to her previous position, Erica placed the note inside the open history book; thankful that Mr. Doyle was ten minutes into a word-for-word lecture that she could find in the book later. With false interest, Erica pulled the book closer to her chest.

'_So I couldn't help but notice u gawking at you-know-who'_

Erica followed the words with blush, seeing that the writing change so quickly. Amy's rough crawl was exchanged for Mia's slanted and neater words.

'_Erica~ I know this is weird, me bumming on Amy's note, but can we "talk" after class?'_

She read the line with a crinkled brow. Maybe it was the giddy sentiment already bubbling in her stomach, but Erica found herself looking forward to the "talk." She had a feeling Amy already knew, so she didn't bother replying, instead nodding her head.

"You're happier." Jasper stated quietly, looking at her with unrelenting gold eyes.

For a moment, she was confused and startled by his words, preparing to defend her sudden spike in elation. Then she remembered that was his ability, sensing emotions. The fact that he knew what she always felt was almost scary, as she didn't think she could handle the mortification of him being aware of her attraction. Erica could only hope that the larger increase of happiness at him speaking to her was still in line with the note from Mia and Amy.

"_Is it strange for me to be happy?_" She questioned with a teasing smile.

She was never so thankful for being speechless than after her interactions with Jasper. Signing and not speaking allowed her to carefully chose her words and prevent and silly slip ups of her fondness of him.

He returned her smile with an even smaller one, which barely reached his eyes. Erica supposed that was normal, seeing as they didn't know much about the other. Well, besides the straight facts, such as his immortality and her muteness. Perhaps that would change, even at the slightest, after school.

"No offense, but I've rarely felt your happiness at such an extent." He offered honestly, quirking on brow up.

The statement wasn't that shocking, as for most of their personal closeness, Erica was rather intimidated of him.

"_Are you okay with waiting for me a bit after school? I need to talk to someone." _She waved her note up, as if to solidify her statement.

She regretted it instantly, noticing that her scrap of paper was still unwound. It was ambiguous enough, the words, but it didn't take a genius to put the note and Jasper together.

He glanced at the paper in her hand briefly, almost uninterested. "I don't mind waiting."

Erica nodded slowly, putting the paper back in between her history book and promptly closing it tightly in her grasp.

The air between them grew awkward for the few seconds after Erica's nod. Not able willing to let it settle, she lifted her hands back up.

"Miss Morgan, Mister Hale!" Mr. Doyle called out loudly, turning his sweaty body away from the board.

From behind his glasses, her teacher's eyes narrowed into small beady slits. Exasperatedly, he ran a hand down his shinning bald head.

"This is not the first time I've caught you doing this in class, Miss Morgan. Pass the note up." Mr. Doyle steamed, his cheeks flushing more than usual.

"Actually, Erica was asking me a question regarding your lecture. She can't exactly ask you directly." Jasper evenly spoke, casting a glance at the book in her hand.

Erica followed his gaze and tucked the bit of paper sticking out further into her book.

Mr. Doyle flushed more, his face thoroughly red in a fashion similar to a wide crayon. The sheen on his forehead was accentuated by the sun streaming in from the parking lot view.

"Well then, next time just—uh, let's all continue now." Their teacher stammered, holding his marker up closer to the board.

For a moment he didn't write anything, just holding the marker in the air.

"_Thank you_." Erica mouthed, upturning her lips more.

Feeling very awkward, she busied her fingers in the ends of her hair. Her eyes glazed over the words in her open again book, focused more on willing her heavy heartbeat to slow down.

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The final bell of the day had only rung a few minutes before Erica, Amy, and Mia went outside to sit down at the school steps. She waited for Mia to place her backpack down by her shoes before sitting down herself. Amy followed, sitting on the step below by Erica's shoes. Amy was already angled to translate signs to words between Mia and Erica.

"_So, what did you want to talk about?_" Erica started, Amy relaying the words only seconds after she signed them.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that we hadn't ever become closer friends." Mia began, holding her hands between her knees. "It's weird for me to say it now that we're in our last year of high school, especially since we've had so many classes together."

"_Are you saying this now because of the whole school presuming I'm dating a Cullen?" _Erica asked heatedly, Amy relaying slower this time as she tried to keep up with the rapid movement.

"Oh god, no! I mean, yeah, it's interesting, but I would never use you like that!" Mia flushed greatly, bobbing her head to throw back her dark hair.

"I'm just, I dunno, guilty because I treated you as if you were contagious." She stammered. "Not that being mute is a contagion!" She added on a minute later. "I just mean my avoidance at speaking to you in general. "

At that point, she was babbling. "I-I didn't avoid you on purpose! It's just, you were new and not exactly a shiny toy to Forks."

Mia groaned loudly after, covering her face. "That came out wrong. I'm sure you'd make a very shiny toy."

Erica tried to follow with what she was saying, but found herself very lost. Her confusion deepened after each time Mia spoke.

"Wait! Can I start over?" She questioned, hiding behind her hands.

"Yes!" Amy answered for Erica, resting her head on Erica's knee as she watched with unveiled interest. "Please continue!"

Mia nodded slowly at Amy, dropping the hand from her face. "If you're okay with it, I think we'd make cool friends."

Erica nodded her own head slowly, acknowledging the words. If she were frank, she was quite startled by Mia wanting to associate with her. Mia Cooper, the girl who had been an acquaintance for almost four years suddenly wanted to befriend her. A very large part of her wanted to nod her head once more, the fraction that was desperate for company. The rest of her was dubious of her honest intentions; it seemed to coincidentally with her interacting with the Cullen family.

Before she could even formulate a response, someone outside of their small group called her name. Looking away from Mia, Erica saw Alice standing besides the stair railing, waving her over. A secret and thankful smile was sent to Alice, as Erica stood up. Leaning down, she hugged Amy briefly and waved to the gaping Mia.

"_I'll call you tonight_." She promised Amy, locking her smallest finger around Amy's briefly.

"You better, Eri!" Amy called after her as Erica descended the stairs.

Erica rolled her eyes, brushing her blonde hair away from the assaulting wind. Her small hand was raised in a greeting towards Alice. The darker haired girl smiled brightly, as usual, as wrapped her arm around Erica's.

"Let's head on home then!" Alice chirped, forcing Erica to follow her lightly and fast pace.

Before the two could get closer to the rest of Alice's family, the girl herself turned to look up at Erica.

"So, today's _Jasper's _turn, huh." Alice mentioned conversationally, humming to herself afterwards.

Erica shifted her eyes reflexively to look at Jasper. His back was turned to her as he leaned against the hood of the silver vehicle.

"What_ do you know?"_ Erica signed out with great difficulty as one hand was tugged by Alice.

Alice hummed innocently in return. "Hmm, do I look like the type to just tell you what you want to know?"

Erica scoffed as Alice continued. "It's much more fun to watch it all play out naturally, don't you think?"

"_That's rich coming from you." _Erica said, implying Alice's ability.

"Isn't it just?" Alice cooed rhetorically.

When the pair reached the car together, Erica saw that Edward was waiting as well. At the sight of the mind reader, Erica tried not to think of her attraction to Jasper. She knew it wasn't working when Edward sat up suddenly in the car, so abruptly that he hit the horn on accident.

A small gasp left her as she jumped and collided with Alice's shoulder. Another sound tore away as her shoulder cracked.

"_Crap!_" She mouthed, using her other arm to cradle her shoulder.

It wasn't dislocated, she knew, but pain still radiated from her neck and down to her finger on her left side. Tears were forming in her eyes, some escaping as she blinked rapidly.

The reactions of the Cullen's left her gawking more at them than her shoulder. Alice was grabbing onto her other arm and guiltily speaking in her ear. In front of her, Jasper stood away from the hood and backed away impossibly fast. Edward was grimacing in the front seat and mouthing an apology to her through the open window.

"_Its fine you guys." _She attempted to sign through her pain, only to drop her hands after the first word.

She clenched her teeth together, smashing her eyes shut as well. Breathing slowly, she tried to will the pain away. When she stopped moving and touching her shoulder, the pain reduced to a throbbing soreness.

She watched Jasper step closer, inhaling deeply before he did. In the car, Edward nodded to him and Jasper moved closer.

"I believe you might have sprained your shoulder." He eyed the appendage thoughtfully.

Without saying anything else, he lifted his hand up to touch both the tender area and her other shoulder. Immediately a sharp pain radiated and a hoarse squeak left her as she jumped at the contact. She blushed when he tugged her elbow length sleeve down slightly to see the already bruising skin.

"I suppose its Carlisle's turn with you, instead." He stated with dry humor, eyeing both shoulders.

If she wasn't experiencing such pain she wouldn't have been able to pass her glare off as a reaction to her pain, rather than the veiled disappointment it was now that her time with Jasper would have to wait. She supposed it was justified by the pain that was becoming unbearable, but the thought did nothing to ease her longing to actually converse with him.

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**Jacobslover2014: Yes is always the answer for character fluff! ;D Hope you love the chapter! **

**Switten-With-Day-Dreams: Thank you so much! Really, the best written? Aww, thanks! :D I'm glad to hear your liking the drawn out plot. Haha, yeah I was cringing while writing embarrassing moments. Jasper is very angst filled, haha love the word. He'll definitely get all fluffy with her, she is as you put it his reason for living. Can't wait for her reactions at that point, she's such a dork. Naaww I love hearing that you're liking the development! Thank you for the kind review! :D**

**SheikahLover: It's so reassuring to hear that the last chapter wasn't a failure, I always worry that my fillers are too misplaced. Writing Lidia and Erica together is so much fun, I honestly wish she was at her dad's house more often.. Hahaha! Lidia and Jasper is going to be such an amazing write! Lidia has basically no filter and Jasper is just so beautiful. Poor Jasper! :'D Thank you for the review, bub~ **

**TooLazyToLogin: Ahh, I ship Amy and Edward so hard, to be honest. I wish Bella didn't cause all the plot points, because otherwise I would have cast her aside for Amy. **

**Guest: Thank you! :D **

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**A/N: Here you go, lovelies~. Hmm, what do y'all think Mia's true intentions are with Erica? Friendship or gossip? Also, how bout that injury action! Poor Erica, but her getting hurt was crucial for the next chapter. It was either that or annual flu shots, but this one stemmed a much better reaction with Jasper. ;)**


	18. Chapter 18: Astronomical

**Thank you so much to my proof-reader, SheikahLover. You're amazing! :D **

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Chapter 18:

Recently, Erica found herself inclined to daydream. She secretly relished letting thoughts of her and a certain blond male sharing whimsical contact of sorts circle around her mind. Sometimes he would even hold her hand, enveloping her in the warmth of his. Of course, she knew that that wasn't what it would really feel like, being a mere figment of her imagination and all, but the daydream itself was enjoyable.

But, even with her knowledge and thoughts, she couldn't be prepared for how cold his hand actually was. There was a large difference between being close and feeling that chill to the actual enclose of his hand around hers.

If Erica wasn't being poked and prodded by his adopted father right then, she might have actually enjoyed the moment.

It only took Edward Cullen five minutes to drive to Forks General Hospital. An additional two was used up until she was admitted. Erica felt slightly bad about it, when she walked in and had to see the other patients waiting to be admitted. All she had to do was wait for the nurse to notice the other Cullen's. She tried to justify her rapid acceptance by convincing herself that they didn't have that bad of injuries or illnesses. But when she saw the mother of a child holding what looked to be a broken arm, she realized just how much of a special treatment she was receiving, and it didn't seem fair whatsoever.

"Alright, so your acromioclavicular ligament is luckily only partly torn." Dr. Cullen told her, prodding her injured shoulder.

Erica was sitting in a generic hospital room, one that had several other beds lined up against the wall. Erica sat on the bed closest to the door, with patterned curtains hiding the rest of the room from her. But from what she could tell, no one else besides her and the other Cullen's were in the room. She didn't find herself particularly liking the room and she doubted she would feel different had she not been injured. The teal coloring on the walls wasn't as soothing whatsoever. It only served to remind her of just how gray and one track the whole town was since a lot of restaurants and small shops she frequented with her mother sported the exact same color.

"Whereas, the coracoclavicular ligament was nearly torn as well, I don't see any direct trauma to it." He added, comparing both shoulders once more.

They had just finished going through basic motion testing's, having her move her arm until she reach the difficulty of mobility. The nurses were still checking her pulse, at both her wrist and elbow, standing on the other side where Jasper and the others weren't.

"I don't see any need to x-ray the shoulder." Dr. Cullen finished, checking the skin once more as he did.

Erica sighed to herself as the nurses finally finished checking her pulse and handed the results to the doctor. Lightly, she moved the fingers on her left hand, remembering what was obstructing the movement in her right. There was a silly reason behind it, involving Alice pushing Jasper closer while Erica almost ripped the generic sheet on the bed, while Edward leaned against the wall smirking. Jasper seemed to be in pain as well, if it was being so close to her or her own emotions causing the grimace was unknown to her. All she knew was that it was nice and she was thankful for the gesture, even if was to prevent her ripping the sheet.

'_I suppose that means I'm good to go?_' Erica thought, watching Edward quietly relay her question.

Without the use of both hands comfortably, they all found that it was easier to use Edwards's ability in that case. Erica felt reluctant to do so at first, as it meant she was truly inviting him into her mind. She knew he couldn't just switch his ability off, but she was afraid of him hearing more insight on her crush.

Dr. Cullen sighed lightly after hearing her question. "You will need to ice the wound for the next two weeks."

As if she needed further explaining, he lifted up the ice pack in his hand. "I would also recommend ibuprofen for any lingering pain during the healing time. I'll also write some instructions for your mother, so that relaying the information to her will be a tad easier."

Erica nodded her head along, tired with being at a hospital. It wasn't like she was exceptionally eager to finish up there, as it would either end with her mother scolding her or visiting the Cullen's home.

"What about any slings?" Jasper asked, his low voice hinting at his accent.

From his close proximity, she could smell something almost reminiscent of green apples,summer, and something akin to old parchment found in was very faint, as she could have been closer, but lovely and familiar. If it wasn't for her sense of dignity, she would have lessened the space between them. That must have been another perk to being immortal, smelling and looking most remarkable to all humans.

Visibly, she flushed at the thoughts. From the corner of her eyes, over Jasper's shoulder, she could see Edward grimace in her direction. Silently, she pleaded for him not to share such information with his family. She wouldn't be able to even leave her home if the knowledge became public.

"Hmm," Dr. Cullen verbally pondering brought her focus back and away from his sons intoxicating form.

"Well, her acromioclavicular ligament is only partially wounded. So unless she is feeling something more than sore, I wouldn't make her wear one." He continued, watching Erica's face closely; perhaps a tad more than she would have liked.

Erica tried not to show how much distress her shoulder actually was in. Unfortunately for her, Edward was all too pleased to reveal her truthful thoughts.

"Actually, she's in a fair amount of pain currently." Edward told them, giving her a small boyish smile.

Alice gave her a disapproving tut, similar to something her stepmother would have done. The sight was so severe; she had to duck her head to avoid the intensity.

She could feel, rather than see, Jasper shake his head. "Humans are so ridiculous."

The words stung more than any scold her parents could have given her. It was like being a small child again, reprimanded for foolishly thinking she could hide something. She just didn't want to cause any additional bother for the doctor. She didn't find the fuss necessary. Erica was, as Jasper pointed out, just a human. The special attention could be used wisely on the other patients.

"Being human isn't a weakness." Erica narrowed her eyes as Edward continued to spill her inner turmoil.

'_I don't know what impression you're under, but my thoughts are just that: mine.' _She thought bitingly, deep down knowing it wasn't truly right to direct her anger on him.

Perceptively, Edward only nodded his head at her in apology. "I believe the yellow sling would be more preferred."

Either way, she rolled her eyes. The nurse, who had been busying herself pretending not to eavesdrop, left the room to fetch such arm sling. The color didn't really matter to her, but being her favorite did soften her frustration just a tad. It would end up matching most of her wardrobe and bedroom.

"Your obsession with that color is just strange." Alice told her in a tone that suggested Erica was wrong and she was right. "Gray is pretty blah as well."

'_Edward, please remind Alice that she is wearing a gray dress.' _Erica begged, raising her eyebrow in good humor.

Edward's small smile widened into a full crooked beam as he gladly did so. Alice promptly pouted, looking down at the dress.

"Actually, this is pale charcoal and it goes great with my complexion." She offered, lifting her nose up to the air.

The sight and banter instantly lightened the atmosphere of the room. Even Jasper gave his adopted sister a small smile of his own. As he did, Erica couldn't help but wonder what it would look like if he was smiling at her. Not one of his strained and almost false looking smiles, but one where he was genuinely pleased to see her. She could only have false images of his eyes crinkling and the corners of his mouth actually upturned. Maybe he would look younger, or closer to the youth that his human self retained during the Civil War.

"Erica?" Alice gently prodded her good arm, pulling her hand into her own and away from Jasper's.

Erica gave her a light smile, thankful for the distraction.

"The nurse will be back in three seconds." She prepared her, squeezing her hand gently.

It only just struck Erica that Alice could feel guilty. It would explain her demonstration of humor with Erica. After all, it _was _Alice who Erica collided with. But Erica didn't harbor any negative sentiments towards the other girl. It was lucky that Erica didn't fall against the car or even worse, the asphalt. It could have been more severe than a sprained shoulder.

Erica nodded at Alice, squeezing the immortal's hand once. All was forgiven, in the situation.

"Erica," Dr. Cullen started, helping her slip the sling on. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about your mutism."

He began his question delicately, as if worried to offend her. The weight of the question was so heavy she could barely feel Alice pull her hand away. In the reflection of a mirror on the other side of the window, Erica could see Alice back up to stand next to Edward.

'_You can tell him I don't mind at all._' She said so quietly in her mind.

The subject of her muteness was often taboo in her homes. Her father didn't like to speak of it because it reminded him of his divorce, her mother couldn't stand knowing she "gave" her child the condition, and Lidia, her stepmother, didn't know how to approach such a thing.

The Cullen patriarch clapped both hands together. "Obviously, I only wish to know what type of muteness you have."

'_I was born mute. My vocal cords weren't fully developed.' _It was a weird feeling, to think your words and know someone else was listening to relay them to others.

He hummed quietly to himself, resting his hands against his chin. "Hmm, at first I was led to believe that you had selective muteness. Your characteristics fit the criteria."

She didn't know how to respond to that, as he continued. "Socially awkward, possible anxiety disorder, they're common symptoms that led to such a condition."

'_Wow, I really like your family, Edward._' She didn't realize how it sounded until she remembered Edward knew of her affection for Jasper. '_Wait! Don't say that out loud. _'

Surprisingly, Alice snorted in the small pause between words. Her small hand smacked into Edward's shoulder. "While funny, you can't say that Edward."

Erica glared over at the auburn, catching his sly grin. '_You're a moron, Edward Cullen.'_

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_"Okay Alice, now remind Erica that if she ever worries me with an ambiguous text from your phone again, I will make sure she never leaves her room."_

Even across the room, Erica could hear her mother's scolding voice on the other end of Alice's phone. With her feet tucked under her body, she pulled the accent pillow closer to her body. It wasn't her fault that her mother misinterpreted the message "At the hospital, I'm fine –Erica." Technically, it couldn't be Erica's fault; she didn't know her shoulder was sprained. If anything, her mother should call the hospital and complain.

"Of course, Heather, I'll make sure she understands." Alice chirped in her usual perk voice.

Slyly, she lowered the phone to whisper over to Erica who sat on Alice's bed. "I have no idea why you're rolling your eyes; your mother is just adorable."

Snorting lightly, Erica scrawled furiously on a notebook. '_You say that because she isn't your mother.'_

In a fashion of mock-scolding, Alice tutted her finger at Erica, "Hmm, alright, have a great day Heather. Bye!"

In the most human way Erica had seen Alice act; the girl threw herself onto the surface of the bed. The immortal barely made a sound as she fell with a dramatic sigh. The sight was quite curious, which inspired her question.

'_Do you guys need to breathe?' _She had noticed, embarrassingly, that when Jasper was close enough there was no exhaling or inhaling.

Instead of looking affronted, like her sibling might have, Alice beamed. "Oh, you're so perceptive."

'_I'll take that as a yes?' _Erica sarcastically held up the notebook.

It was quite gaudy looking, the book that Alice was letting her use. The covers were very solid and thick, for a 5x8 notebook. It was almost awkwardly thick as well; she assumed there must have been three hundred pages. The cover was rather pretty though, with fabric designs continuously flowing on both sides of the book.

Alice didn't respond, staring up at the ceiling. Erica wouldn't have been concerned had she not seen how glazed over the light gold hue was. Her mouth was also slightly agape, and her hands held over her stomach. It was almost frightening to see Alice so still.

There wasn't much Erica could do, even vainly pushing on her arm didn't affect the dark haired girl. She couldn't speak or call for Alice in the situation either. Never had she felt so helpless.

"Oh! You're really close." Alice gasped, causing Erica to reel back from her position poking Alice's face.

Her writing was sloppier than usual and didn't meet up with the preplaced lines well on the sheet. '_What the hell was that?_

Instead of responding, Alice grinned as two knocks sounded on the door to her room.

Erica turned to raise an eyebrow at Alice, still awaiting further explanation.

"Hmm, seems it's time for you to go." Alice laughed under her breath, shoving Erica off the bed and closer to the door.

Erica didn't attempt to shove her off, too cautious of the sling holding her left arm in place.

"Here you go!" Alice shouted her parting words as Erica fell through the doorway.

She didn't have time to even express her strangled horror of falling when someone caught her by the sleeve of her shirt. It was reminiscent of a puppy being pulled by the scruff of its neck. It was even more humiliating when she saw it was Jasper holding her upright.

The only response she could create was waving her hand. "_Hello."_

He repeated the gesture with muted amusement.

With the urge to ask him what he was doing, she noticed her book was still in Alice's room.

"Before I forget," Alice said from the other side of the door. "Catch!"

She tossed the little notebook out into the hallway, where Jasper caught it without even looking in that direction. Erica was embarrassed to silently think about how impressive it was. The feeling was only lightened by knowing that great reflexes had to be another immortal perk.

"I believe this is yours."

His voice was just as perfect as that catch, of both her and the book. Not so caught up in enjoying his amused eyes, she realized he was still holding her upright. The position was fairly awkward, as it pulled her shirt up slightly and forced her to be at an angle she was fairly uncomfortable in. With her good hand placed on Alice's door, she somewhat reluctantly up righted herself. The resulting moment was way too awkward. Without looking at him, she tugged the decorated book away from his hand.

Reflectively, she glanced up at the hand he was lowering. Her cheeks felt warmer as she remembered Dr. Cullen advising his son to hold her hand. It was probably the second closest she had ever been to him. The moment she was currently living taking first place. Being that close to his body, she could smell the slight apple scent once more. For looking like such a distant person, he smelt like the brightest moment in the day.

Casting her eyes downward, she took the basic pencil out and wrote as neatly and focused as she could.

'_What's up?' _She flashed him a smile, one wider than normal.

Part of her hoped he would subconsciously copy the movement.

"I'm the last one to personally speak with you." He pointed out, smirking in response to her question.

As she looked down to think of a response, holding her notebook against her hip, she didn't notice him start to walk away until she felt someone push her from behind.

"Good luck!" Alice mouthed, walking in the opposite direction to go downstairs.

Erica had the suspicion that one of them was going to be listening in on herself and Jasper with one of their immortal perks.

Meanwhile, Jasper's strides were set at a natural pace much larger and faster than hers. Erica found herself doing half a walk and jog to catch him around the hallway curve of the hallway. From the way he looked down and smirked at her, she knew he'd noticed her silly outburst. But oddly enough, she didn't feel embarrassed at his reaction. Instead she smiled back shyly.

Erica decided to wait until they reached wherever Jasper was leading her to use her notebook again. It was a bit strange to walk with her sling and Jasper on the same side, but she didn't let that affect her bright mood.

Surprisingly, she followed him up another set of stairs. This flight was shorter than the other's and led to a much smaller and narrower hallway. She felt almost uneasy walking so high in the house. It also made her more conscious of her footsteps. Jasper walked silently beside her, it was as if he were floating. Erica felt like a clumpy animal next to him.

The small hallway only had one door, which Jasper turned and entered. Erica followed him, gasping aloud as she saw the room.

It seemed as if the entire third floor was taken up by the room, which looked reminiscent of a library. There were more filing cabinets than actual book shelves, and when Erica was close enough she could see that it wasn't just normal books on the shelves. She expected literary classics, not files with variations of the Cullen member's names labeling the files.

Without lifting her eyes from the files, she wrote in the notebook. '_What is this room?_'

"We like to call it 'the library.'" Jasper's voice responded in amusement at her wonder. "I thought you'd like it since you expressed an interest in our backgrounds."

She noticed a table with several chairs, almost like the set up of a dining table, and sat herself at it.

'_So, this is where you commit your criminal forgery and deletion of your fake lives online._' She inquired, sliding the book closer to where he leaned against the table.

Jasper let out a funny little puff of laughter. "Yes, it's also where we recently got rid of our traces that you found."

She nodded her head, feeling overwhelmed. Next to the table, she could see files with names such as "Esme Platt" and "Mary Alice Brandon." She wondered if that was their original identities, as the rest featuring Esme had her and Dr. Cullen sharing the same last name.

'_Does this mean you trust me enough to show me this room?' _She kept the book to herself for a moment, hesitant to ask.

Biting her lip, she pushed the book towards him. She decided that looking at the lining shelves would calm her frenzied nerves.

There was quite a large pause before he replied back in response. "I suppose it does."

He almost sounded unsure of his reply, as if it was for not only her but him as well.

She could only nod her head, daring to smile at him.

For the next moments, she occupied her thoughts with all the different names they had had before in life. It was very whirlwind to walk around the room and be so close to their secrets. She knew that the biggest of them all, what they actually were, wouldn't be among them. When she got closer to the door, she noticed that several shelves were holding internet links. She assumed those were any websites on their "watch list." It made her giddy to see the poorly made Confederate War website that had brought her to that moment among the web links.

'_What other super abilities do you guys have, if you don't mind me asking?' _She questioned once she finished walking around the room.

"I figured you knew about those already." He deflected, knowing that she meant something more specific.

Sheepishly running a hand through her hair, she elaborated. '_Well, I know about the general enhanced senses and special abilities.'_

"But?" He prompted, handing her back the notebook.

'_Okay, this sounds stupid but what do I—' _She hesitated in finishing her question, wondering if it were best to wait until she was with Alice again.

But his raised eyebrow and smirk was very convincing.

"You want to know what you _smell _like?" He asked as if she was the funniest thing on earth after she completed her question.

Her neck and face felt warmer as she used her good hand to cover her own movement of laughing.

"_I know, I know._" She signed with one hand, leaning back in the chair.

Once he handed her back the notebook, though it wasn't until he composed himself, she was able to write.

'_I was just curious, okay?' _Erica attempted to justify her query.

He shook his head at her, his wavy hair brushing along his jaw line. "You're so different to other humans."

'_Well, I have to be if I made it this far._' She replied wittily.

His dark eyes rolled. "Okay, if you're so curious, you smell like apples."

She sat up straighter, even smelling her own arm.

"No, no, you won't be able to smell it." He stopped her. "It's not strong enough for humans to pick up."

'_Anything else_?' She pushed, remembering that Jasper smelled like several things to her.

He paused, thinking about it. For a moment, she thought he would comically smell her. Luckily for her nerves, that didn't happen.

"Paint, or at least that's what Alice just said."

Erica knew that Alice was eavesdropping.

But she pushed that thought away, innocently replying. '_So do you, but minus the paint part.'_

She carefully watched his reaction to what she wrote, watching as he blinked at her. It was as if he was truly seeing her for the first time.

"_What?_" She mouthed, blushing at his stare.

"It's nothing." He brushed off, clearing his throat and standing. "I think Alice wants to speak to you."

He walked away so fast that Erica didn't even have a chance to catch up. By the time she reached the hallway, she couldn't even see him. Going back down the stairs, she could hear Alice's voice chime in the second story hallway.

"—to run away like that," Alice was scolding him, and Erica caught the end of it.

Sighing, he looked away from Alice and at Erica. She lamely waved at him in response, watching as his narrowed eyes settled back to normal.

"_Are you okay?" _She mouthed, forgoing the book.

He nodded his head several times at her, different from the usual clipped action. "I'm fine, let's go downstairs. It's time to get you home."

She wanted to argue, point out that it was still daytime. But didn't at the fear of ruining an already sour mood. As she walked further into the hallway, Alice sympathetically smiled at her in passing. Before Alice could turn back into her room, Erica handed her the decorative notebook. Alice didn't argue, simply tearing a page out and handing it to Erica along with her school bag. Confused, Erica still took it and shoved it into her pocket.

Returning to the main floor of the Cullen house, she saw that Esme must have just finished scolding Jasper as well. She resembled both Heather and Lidia in that moment, with her hands on her hips and frown on her face.

Clearing her throat, Erica entered the tense room. She didn't exactly understand why everyone was reacting that way, so she assumed it was a fault that she performed.

The car keys were already in his hands, she noticed as she trailed after him towards the front door. At least this time, he had the courtesy to walk at a pace she could keep up with. Though, that didn't stop him from rushing towards the silver car faster than her eyes could distinguish. With the way he looked at her afterwards, it was like he wanted a reaction.

The only noise during the car ride was the loud turns on the road and Erica's pulling out the spare piece of paper from her pocket to write on. She had a feeling that was what Alice intended the paper to be used for, now that she remembered the pencil behind her ear.

She didn't mind his stony silence this time, as her attention was focused on the words. But old habits died hard, and she couldn't help the few glances up at him. Embarrassingly, his eye would catch hers each time.

That didn't distract her, though, as she remained intent on finishing her scribbles before the car ride was over.

Luck seemed to be on her side, as she barely finished the last punctuation mark as Jasper pulled up in front of her house. She only knew they were there when the car stopped jerking her body around. He didn't even turn the engine off, she assumed he was eager for her to leave.

Silently, she left the car and wondered how long it would take for him to read the note she left in the passenger seat.

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**Jacobslover2014: Spoilers ;P As for Amy and Edward, they are still up in the air. I think you might be right about Mia... *dramatic music* Thank you for the review, dearie! **

**AngelWeasleyxxx : Thank you for the review! :D **

**Guest: Thank you, bub! ^~^ **

**Acidic Rose: Thank you for the kind words. :) **

**GhostlySights: Haha! This was fun to read! :D I love your summary of Erica in the last chapter. **

**Lauren: Thank you, I hope you enjoy the update. :)**

**SheikahLover: Okay, then I laid down the cement and you smoothed out all the grammar bumps. (I'm not sure how well that analogy went, but it's quite late and my mind is tired.) :'P Thank you so much, you're too kind! Wow, that's honestly really really kind of you to say. :) Thank you. I'm a bit overwhelmed, I never pictured this story getting such support. (I'm eternally grateful.) I don't even think I can adequately express how much your nice words mean.**

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**AN: OOO! She left him a note~ What do you think could be on that one, hmm? :P This chapter was largely inspired by the fact that Bella and Edward share similar "scents." Hint slammed onto the ground. **

**I'm thinking that something big developed here.**

**Oh gosh, thank you all so much for the support! This is so overwhelming, thank you. :) **


	19. Chapter 19: Combustion

**Thank you, thank you a billion times to my incredible beta, SheikahLover! :) **

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Chapter 19:

"I really like this stealthy side of yours, Erica!" Amy Clear laughed, untangling her long legs from the beige blanket on the couch.

Luck was on both of their sides, her mother wasn't home yet and there wasn't much schoolwork to troop through, meaning Amy could easily sneak Erica over. It was a different pace compared to frequently hiding away in the Morgan household. Erica, admittedly, enjoyed the different scenery immensely.

Amy's home seemed much more lived in compared to the home and townhouse Erica resided in. From the first moment Erica walked in the house, she could see photos of Amy with missing teeth and pigtails, organized portraits with the family of three, and various other moments from the last twenty years or so.

Beside a large mirror in the entryway, Erica could even see a collage of portraits regarding Amy's grandparents. It was different, vastly so, from her own dwelling. Both of Erica's grandparents passed away before her birth, which meant her mother and father had a hard time putting up photos or any other reminders of them.

Lidia every now and then took Erica over to her own parent's house in Seattle, but it wasn't the same. In her father's modern condo, there were no photos up for public eyes; the few memories were stored away in private rooms.

For her mother, she didn't like cameras on her daughter. Heather had barely allowed Erica to get her school photos done in high school without throwing much of a fuss.

Comparably, the Clear household occupied a much larger home because of their larger numbers. That was evident enough in the large living room, which had enough room for the large U-shaped couch and various accent chairs. Erica bet that if she lay down on the rug in the room, she wouldn't even be able to make her fingers and toes touch the edges. She wasn't that tall, but enough to emphasize the expansion.

Erica wasn't so much jealous of the larger home, as that was simply materialistic, but more so of the family dynamic displayed in the upper middle class home.

_"You shouldn't be enjoying this so much."_ Erica pointed out, smiling at her best friend's excitement.

The brunette was overjoyed by Erica's bold act, an hour prior. Amy couldn't contain the need to compare her to a multitude of protagonists. That display had eagerly gone on for thirty minutes, Amy only stopping when Erica complained that her squeals were hurting her sling. Amy pointed out the lack of logic in the statement, but allowed the excuse to slip by otherwise.

"Oh, see that's where you are wrong." Amy countered, sitting back in the chair with an easy laugh. "I'm not even fully unleashing my excitement."

Erica shook her head in amused disbelief. "_I don't think I could handle your full excitement."_

"You'd probably combust." She replied with a serious expression gracing her face only for a second as it soon fell away to her wide beam.

"Okay, so I doubt you just sat in Alice's room and then left a note for him for no reason." Amy told her, eyeing Erica with a smirk.

Erica shrugged off her gaze, facing the fireplace in front of them. She had blatantly left out the attic time with Jasper, more so his reveal about her. It was almost like a secret, one that she wanted to keep between them. Really, she didn't think Amy would understand that something monumental had occurred.

With guilt steadily building up in her throat, she omitted details from her dearest friend. "_Well, he took me to another room, to show me the effort they went into their identities._"

Light perked in Amy's blue eyes and she prompted Erica to continue.

Shuffling under the position, Erica did with slow hand movements. "_Then he said something about their abilities_, _freaked out, and basically had to refrain from tossing me out of the car._"

Erica tensed up with the lie, feeling sweat bead up on her forehead. She hoped Amy wouldn't see the absent detail gaps.

After a moment of silence, Amy finally responded back. "He's so weird, _cute_, but really weird."

Letting out a soft sigh, Erica snorted. "_Yeah he is."_

"So you agree that he's cute."

Reeling back suddenly, Erica felt her face flush. She shook her head rapidly and gapped her mouth, depicting a scene similar to a fish on dry land. She was so flustered, that she could only raise her hands and not form any words with them.

"_Oh screw it, yeah he is._" Erica finally responded, several minutes later.

* * *

Erica anxiously waited outside of Forks High School, leaning her shoulder against the cool metal railing. Beside her, she could feel Mia wave her arms around as she jovially spoke to Amy. Erica could scarcely hear them because of her rushing heart filling her ears, thus blocking any noise out. Occasionally, the girls would try to include her in conversation, but Erica couldn't think about anything but seeing Jasper.

She was afraid, worried that her note made the situation worse rather than better. Amy believed it was courageous, but Erica knew better than to think she understood how Jasper would perceive it. She tried comforting herself by knowing that Alice wouldn't have given her the page if she didn't want her to write the note. However, she couldn't stop fretting over her act.

Other students filed past them, their stomping footsteps out of rhythm compared to the pounding in her head. Even when they barely missed stepping on her feet or bag, she didn't move away from the railing.

With only her voice to fill her mind, she could hardly believe she was tangled up in a web of secrets that Forks had. She didn't ever expect to find herself actually figuring out a part of the puzzle. The only thing she expected at the beginning of the year was paint stained hands, not to crush on someone who wasn't human.

Sharply, she felt Mia jab her arm.

"Hey, they're here." But Mia didn't need to tell her, Erica was already watching them descend from their vehicles.

Erica watched the way they interacted with each other, so normally that no one would ever guess them to be different… from a distance, at least. Up close, someone could see every physical trait that made them chemically wrong. But that wasn't a bad thing, rather than the separation everyone reacted with, Erica felt herself drawn towards them.

'_Thanks._' She wrote half-heartedly, standing up with a sluggish pace. She kept one arm rested on the railing to support her lack of balance in the sling.

The two returned back to their conversation, though Amy kept glancing at Erica with a concerned gaze. Erica returned a small grin, placating Amy enough to shift her full attention.

The Cullen's were closer now, Alice already skipping up the steps. Erica could feel herself take in a deep breath, which calmed her nerves somewhat. With a familiar force, Alice wrapped her arm around Erica's good one.

"Oh, I must admit, I really liked that ending yesterday." Alice whispered in her ear, an impish gleam in her eyes.

Erica easily returned the beam, her nerves resting slightly.

With a slight struggle, and the assistance of Alice, she was able to raise her pencil over a notebook. _'Of course you would, you're the one who made it happen.'_

"Well, you're welcome then." Much to Erica's confusion, Alice winked and took the notebook with her as she unhooked her arm.

As if she had a voice to use, Erica opened her mouth reflexively. As expected, no noise came out and she was left blundering after Alice. She didn't understand why Alice was carrying the book for her, but she didn't doubt there was an ulterior motive to the action.

So focused on trailing after Alice, she hardly noticed the tall figure behind her. However, once she did, it was hard to focus on anything but him.

Even with his eyes focused on whatever was in front of him, she could still easily see the dark golden hue of his irises. From her height, she fleetingly wondered if his jaw line was as sharp as it seemed. With those thoughts, she briefly felt horrified, knowing that he could sense them. Her face felt warmed as she slowed down to stand beside him. He didn't acknowledge her as she did so, but she knew he had already felt her emotions, judging by the small almost unnoticeable upturn of his mouth. A giddy, overly happy, feeling bubbled up inside her at the sight as she realized she caused it.

She wished she had her notebook in her hands again, as the urge to speak to him was almost overwhelming. There was so much she wanted to ask him, mainly about his reaction to her note. But Alice had already walked ahead of them and Erica wasn't willing to walk further away from him.

Walking alongside him, she noticed the way people stared at her. It was something she had become adjusted to, with the swirling rumors, but their expressions now increased tenfold at the actual spectacle. She wondered how they would look at them if they knew the Cullen's weren't human. They would most likely consider her crazy, in their oblivious minds.

"I assume Alice has already told you that we're going away for the week."

Accustomed to his silence, Erica was unprepared to hear his low voice and jumped at the low sound. Her fingers flexed in the absence of her book as she shook her head. He eyed her with a funny look, briefly looking down for words she didn't write.

"Well, we are. The sun is breaking through earlier this year."

Erica smiled lightly at that, loving the sunny beam just as much as the paint color.

The silence bloomed between them once more, but shifted into a pattern more familiar rather than tense. She knew it was his way of clearing the awkward air that had formed during his rash behavior. Whether her letter helped or not, she didn't know.

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**AN: I'll just say this now, you'll get an actual preview of the note in the very distant plot future. Trust me, the wait might be worth it. ;) While on the plot related subject, I've been going near crazy trying to find a song that fits-as well as it can- into their dynamic. Really, I'm just feeling song/character-envy regarding A Thousand Years. **

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**GhostlySights: I gotta admit, Edmelia is pretty amazing! ;P Yes! I'm definitely with you on that, I go full on giggle spasm. Haha, thank you for the review! :D**

**Guest 1: As you should! (I want them together too!) ^-^**

**TaTa B-P: You might get a little peak in the next chapter, but the full note will be revealed during a bigger scene. I will give you a hint: does anyone else hear wedding bells? ;P**

**maria: Hmm, while I won't promise anything, I can say they will at least have a Amy-flirts scene.**

**AngelWeasleyxxx: Thank you! I am very keen on seeing Erica play out with the events, which is my main reason for needing Bella. *sigh* If only Amy wasn't so adorable. :)**

**ArjunaRose: I know the feeling! I'm completely guilty of not checking stories until almost a year after binge reading. Well, if it's any condolence, I won't write that note into the story until the plots near done. Thank you for the encouragement! :)**

**Sam0728: We'll get there.. at some point. ;P (There's a hint above if you didn't see :) )**

**SamanthaJane13: Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

**SheikahLover: Well, I don't even want to think about how long it took me to publish this. :I Aaah, thank you! :D Oh gosh, yes, that always bugged me! I want, need, Erica to actually be incorporated into their family. Really, I think Erica and Esme/Alice might be together more than Erica and Jasper. :P Oh yes, I can't wait until Erica is a newborn! No more weak human for her! ;o Hhaha! You're assessments of Edward always kills me! I really can't wait until Jasper and Erica get the flow of a relationship.. ooh just think of the book reading cuddling! ;P Ahh thank you so much! I swear, I couldn't do most of these updates without you! :)**

**NoemiFisher: Oh thank you! Aah, making me blush! :P I can't wait to finally post the note for y'all!**

**melissa: I hope this update is adequate enough, to make up for the lateness! :)**

**Guest 2: I hope you enjoy the update! :)**

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**I hope y'all enjoy this! Don't be afraid to tell me what you think! :)**


	20. One-Shot: 1863

**AN: This is a one-shot completely unrelated to the current plot of The Simplicity of Life is a Lie. This one-shot takes place in 1863, from the POV of Erica, and has human Jasper in it. If you do really enjoy this, I will post a Part 2 after a few chapter of the regular story.  
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**A billion thank you's to** **SheikahLover****, the most brilliant beta reader to ever exist. **

**Enjoy! **

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It was horribly hot, the type that was an uncomfortable heat that left everyone and everything feeling ungracefully sweaty and flushed pink on their faces. Erica was no stranger to the hot shining sun, spending most of her time outside, and was outside more than usual recently, since was preparing to flee. A cold, burdening war had swept their homeland, prompting quick evacuations. It was only recently that she learned of her home's own rapid departure. The soldiers from Galveston, a nearby city they were stationed in, had stormed in with a thundering force. A deafening noise so startling, Erica nearly believed the battle they soon warned them of was upon them.

She could remember the paranoia the day before, when it felt like her heart leaped up into her throat from fear. That moment made her realize that all of her fright enhanced dreams had nothing on the true terror of war.

She was lucky, she supposed, to have been sheltered so much.

Her town wasn't much, admittedly, especially after all the eligible men were shipped out to fight. Her father was no exception, even if a simple labor worker had no place on the battle ground. His age didn't even exempt him, as he pushed sixty. Erica could remember the panic on her mother's face, and the way their maid Lidia had to hurriedly restrain her from ripping up the notice they received in the mail.

It was so odd, to watch her town be filled with mourning wives, naive children and elders, and those not too old or young enough to be safe from the horrors. Erica fell into the latter, finding herself forced out onto the fields, despite her disability. It was a far cry from her life just mere months before, where she spent more of her time hidden away in her room painting. Sometimes, she felt like the chipped teacup her mother kept in the back of the cabinet but didn't necessarily show to the public. She felt like her mother thought it was best to keep her locked away from everyone. Sometimes she watched the other young girls, envious that they had already been married or free to do what they felt like, unlike her.

It was hard to not hold resentment towards her parents, who never even instilled such labor skills. For months, she had to trade her home and bed for early mornings and sweltering suns. It was unbearable; especially when she still had to wear her musty ankle length yellow skirt and matching high collared, wrist length, button up shirt. Always a dress, sometimes blue or just a plain brown, but her favorite was the yellow one. Her mother refused to let Erica touch her father's forgotten slacks, or even use Lidia's lighter spare dress. It was only through sheer luck that she managed to cut her hair so short, using the sun for an excuse. So every morning, Erica trekked out in her brown boots and dress to painstakingly assist in her family's fields. It was never monotonous, always something different to do or take care of.

When she was lucky, on days where there wasn't any work, she could stay in her white corset and plan underskirt and paint until her heart had its fill. There was no need to speak, or humiliation after someone learned her secret when she painted. The others in town looked down on her, as if all she would amount to was being a childless spinster. Almost all of them had a difficult time understanding that she was a person too, only she was different because she was a mute. The only exception was Amelia Clear, a darling shopkeeper's daughter who didn't have to help Erica every day, but chose to out of her own freewill.

That was one light in the war, her meeting Amelia—or Amy as she preferred to be called. Amy was a spitfire wrapped up tightly in delicate dresses and freckles. She was beautiful, kind, funny, and most of all understanding. When they had first met, months prior during a trip to her father's store, Amy had approached her with general questions.

"Can I help you?" She had asked her, a light twang coating her voice.

Erica had felt immediate dread, knowing that she would most likely never return to the shop. Her family had a vague understanding of sign language, drawing great help from Hartford, even though Erica was only mute not deaf. Erica herself wasn't the best at using it, however, and knew that no one beside the Morgan's would understand her.

Still, she had hoped to tell the girl that she couldn't speak. With a nervous grimace, Erica had placed her hands against her throat and attempted to mouth words.

What she didn't want was for the girl to feel insulted. "Look, you having a laugh at me, aren't you ?"

Erica had quickly shaken her head, repeating her actions.

The shopkeeper huffed and propped a hand on her burgundy covered hip. "Did Mathilda send you from school?"

Erica had once again shaken her head, desperate for some relief. She was used to people finding her silly or dumb, but they quickly understood that she was the Morgan's only child—the mute one.

"Then why the hell aren't you saying anything!" Amy had finally snapped, raising both hands up towards the ceiling.

Feeling pathetic, Erica started to cry in her frustration. Her loud sniffs as she vainly tried to cease her tears had caught the attention of another woman. That woman was older and an almost exact copy of the younger shopkeeper.

"You okay, dear?" She had asked hesitantly, hovering a hand over Erica's arm. Her voice was richer, with a deeper accent to her tone.

Beside her, the younger girl had huffed once more. "No use talking to her, she's playing jokes."

Her mother had gasped strongly; drawing Erica took look up at her scandalized face. "Amelia! This is the Morgan girl!"

Erica didn't think they knew she could hear the rapid hiss coming from her mouth. She would have felt insulted at being addressed that way, but was long since accustomed to the unwanted title.

A small flicker of recognition slipped past Amelia's red flushed face. "_Oh_."

Erica watched as she shuffled on her feet, grimacing slightly. Finally, she looked up at Erica with an even and composed face.

"Well then, I do apologize." She had brought her hands up to tightly clasp them together. "I don't suppose you'll still need my help."

With an embarrassed flush, Amelia had turned around. Erica didn't know what possessed her to do so, but she boldly placed her hand on the sleeve of Amelia's dress.

"Yes?" She had asked softly, one eye brow twitching curiously.

Erica had hoped she understood what she meant and pointed outside and back to a print of the moon. She repeated the action several times, until Amelia nodded her head.

That night the two girls had met, under the moonlight per Erica's order. She had been prepared for that meeting, sneaking out a few sheets of parchment under her shawl. When Amelia saw the items, she realized the two could communicate, to a degree . Erica didn't have the neatest scrawl or greatest education, but she was able to write well enough. After that day, the two continued their secret meetings. Eventually, Erica showed Amelia some of the Hartford sign language and Amy in return taught her how to read and spell well.

Erica could honestly say she'd never had a greater friend.

Now, she had no inkling as to where her dear friend currently was. She hoped that her mother and Amy had cleared out with the morning evacuation, rather than the mid-afternoon. As she searched the crowd, she couldn't see the matching brunette haired pair. A sigh pulled out from behind her lips as she finally relaxed. She was comforted by knowing they had gotten out, and that they were safe together.

Erica had to find her family next. The crowd was a largely watered down version of what had been there that morning, which made her quest somewhat easier.

"Erica!" A loud shout came from the crowd.

Vainly, Erica stood on her toes, searching for familiar streaky blonde hair. After a moment of achingly plat forming on her toes, she finally saw the two women she was looking for. Her mother and Lidia were in the heart of the crowd, beaming towards her with anxious expressions.

"Mom!" she mouthed, her body slumping down with the release of tension.

Quickly, she wadded her way through the crowd. The burning sun had not been kind, she noticed at the sight of everyone's common red skin stains and slick sweat. Children clung to their mother's, desperate to stay beside them. Many were hesitant to let her past them, only doing so when they realized she was alone.

Arms pulled on her figure, brining her in towards warm cloth.

"Erica!" Relief was strong in her mother's voice. "My sweet sunflower, I need you to get something for me. "

Erica pulled away from her mother's embrace, her eyebrows pulling up towards her hairline.

Her mother instantly clarified, brushing her hands against Erica's sleeves. "I need something from the house, something that belonged to your father."

From behind her mother, Erica saw Lidia gasp at the mention of the Morgan patriarch. Normally, Erica would have frowned and scolded her maid for the reaction. It did amaze her to see how much gossip made its way to both the family maid and the mute girl. Erica wasn't oblivious to the longing gazes Lidia cast constantly towards her father. She didn't believe her mother was either, but she could never tell from the eccentric woman.

"Mother," She moved her fingers slowly with poor accuracy to mouth her thoughts. "What do you need me to find?"

Heather sighed lowly, pulling Erica closer. "Before leaving, he left a pocket watch."

Erica nodded her head, confused by her mother's actions. It wasn't until she elaborated, that Erica understood.

"He left it in the shed."

"Now, Heather!" Lidia immediately scolded, stepping forward. "You can't expect her to walk on back for something so silly as a pocket watch !"

With her mother's words, Erica could see why she hesitated to broach the idea. Their family's land was fairly large, their small house barely a stain upon the land. The plot of property had been in the family for many generations, providing fruitful grounds. The family's shed happened to be on the outskirts of their property, being a thirty minute walk on a good morning.

"Lidia!" her mother gasped, scandalized. "I would have thought that _you_ of all people would have jumped on the idea. Lord knows what you did with my hus—"

Lidia blushed brightly, pulling a hand towards her mouth. "Now I won't stand for this."

"You two didn't do much standing!" Her mother instantly retorted, fanning her flushed face with her hand.

"How could you—I've been—Oh Heather!" Lidia stammered, her voice growing with defensive agitation.

Erica finally decided to break away from the trio, pulling her sleeve free from her mother's hand. The harsh words didn't notify Erica of a situation she had no insight of, however that didn't lessen Erica's reluctance to hear such things… especially when she was the reason for them. Her lack of speech had drastically strained her parent's relationship with each other. Her father had found solace in their maid, rather than repair the cracks before the relationship shattered.

"It's fine, Lidia." Erica signed to her lifelong maid, biting on her lip before turning to her mother. "I'll go get the trinket, momma."

Despite making the declaration, Erica was very reluctant to go on the small journey. Her boots, with the sun warmed leather, were uncomfortably hot against her feet. She had made the horrible decision to wear a complete dress, with her corset underneath and lace shawl to cover her dress sleeves. She was ever so grateful to have her short hair, which provided some relief in the thick air.

"Now, Erica—" Lidia began to oppose, only to be interrupted by Heather.

"I think you've said enough." Her finalizing tone cut off any further arguments.

With a wavering smile, Erica stepped away from her mother, brushing her hand against the gray streaked braid. She was slightly afraid to leave them alone, but didn't believe her mother would do something scandalous in the judgmental public eye.

Finally, she turned her back to them, glad to not hear even the slightest hush exchanged between the two.

Making her way through the crowd was easier than going in. The others looked much more agreeable towards getting closer to the evacuation that would soon take place, rather than being pushed back even by the slightest person.

She instantly noticed the way the coarse dirt affected her shoes and how sweat began to bead up against the back of her neck. With slow dexterity, Erica lifted her hand to push back her hair. The result was barely noticeable, but made her feel better under the sun.

As she walked past the last of the storefronts, she thought she heard loud noises coming from behind. A quick glance showed her nothing, but the higher land hiding the other people from her. Erica didn't think anything of it, and merely sighed raggedly before continuing her walk.

Finally, Erica was graced with the sight of her home. Trees surrounded the whitewash planks of the structure, providing a relieving shade. The ground was covered in the same dirt, but with tree needles and leaves cushioning her step. She could see the pointed slope roof and tall narrow windows, making out the detailed wooden trim once she was closer. With heavy footsteps, she walked past the house, despite her longing to step up the red brick stairs and walk inside the building.

All too soon, she lost the shaded path as she walked along the fields. The grain crops were hardly tall enough to shade a child, much less Erica. Even with her shorter stature, she wouldn't find shade. The row of cotton fields came next; reminding Erica of clouds that she wished would conceal the sky and save her from the heat.

As the time and path stretched on, Erica felt immense joy upon seeing the small shed. She could understand why her father chose to hide his trinket in the structure, the plain building and rough exterior providing no interest to wandering looters.

Her fingers gingerly held onto the rough plank of wood that was propped against the door. She ghosted briefly over it, wondering if her father had done the same. With a grunt, she pulled the large piece of lumber away and let it fall to the ground. The resulting sound was terribly loud and made her jump slightly with fright.

With a sigh, she rubbed her sleeve against her forehead, anticipating the find of the trinket.

Inside the building, she immediately saw dust pluming in the sun rays that leaked in between the plank gaps. The small room was just as humid as it was musty; the air being thicker than it was outside. Erica slumped forward , feeling dejected before her search had even started. She knew she had to find the pocket watch, even if her determination dropped slightly.

With a small sigh, Erica looked around the shed. She wasn't sure where to start looking. The room was cluttered with old supplies, a dress that hung against a wall, and many other miscellaneous objects.

She decided to start beside the door, sifting through an old barrel. The coarse top came off easily, but she could hardly see inside the container. Unease settled in her stomach, but despite the sentiment Erica stuck her hand into the hollow wood. She silently prayed to find the pocket watch, or even nothing in the barrel.

With her hand deeper inside, she noticed that it wasn't void of whatever liquid it once held. Coating about a finger length deep was a thick liquid, with a coagulated layer that separated during the extensive heat exposure. Reflexively, her mouth opened to gag. Her finger shook wildly and her nose curled when the scent plumed up in her face with the motion. It smelled like rotten earthy preserves. Gagging extensively, she pulled her hand back to her chest. Her hand returned with stains on her fingers and some of the separated layer of goo.

Her sickness increased as she rapidly shook her hand around, moving backwards as if to move further away from her own hand.

Suddenly, she lost her footing, snagging her boot heel against the hemline of the hanging dress. A chocked cry left her damaged vocals as she felt her body slide out from underneath her. Tumbling towards the ground, feeling tremendous fear, she collided against the dirt floor. A plume of dust and dirt flew up around her, while her quickened breath took some of the cloud into her lungs. Instantly, a burning pain swam through her chest, nose and throat. Her eyes stung as well, being open and unprotected during her fall.

"Excuse me?" An unfamiliar voice called from outside the shed.

The voice was male, something Erica hadn't heard in her town for months. He sounded young and Erica knew he had to be a soldier. But for what side, she didn't know. Immense panic shot through her body, her sitting form tensing up with the shock.

In between her coughing fit, she could hear him getting closer, the heavy footfalls right outside the thin walls.

"Are you alright, in there?" They sounded concerned, even going as far as to knock on the shed.

She knew it was a false comfort, knowing they had to be the enemy they were being evacuated to safety from.

There was no way for her to vocally communicate her distrust, her coughs weren't helping or even lifting in the slightest.

She heard the door open before he announced himself. Fear rooted itself against her heart, the organ pounding with a force unmatched by their best horse.

With her eyes screwed shut, she could feel hands pulling her up by the forearms and out of the musty shed. As she was righted, against his chest, her lungs cleared with the higher air quality. She would let her wariness concerning the soldier take second priority. Even her large distaste of the sun was forgotten in her desperate intake of fresh air.

As her coughing slowed to heavy pants, she felt the body beside her move away. Her eyes were still closed, though not as tightly, as she situated herself against the exterior walls. She could hear him walk away, and then the sound of a horse neighing followed.

Slowly, Erica opened her hazel eyes, seeing a blurry shape. As her eyes cleared, she saw the brown horse first. Then she noticed the blue and yellow uniform, immediately sighing with the release of fear.

The soldier had his back turned to her, but she could see he was far taller than her, which wasn't that hard to achieve. Blonde hair, darker and curlier than hers, rested against his jaw line, peeking out from under the brim of his dark blue hat.

Erica cleared her throat timidly, pulling her shawl closer as she reached under the waistband of her skirt to retrieve her parchment and pencil, a new Eberhardt Faber pencil gifted to her recently by Amy after the taller girl stepped on her old one.

Looking up with the sound, the soldier turned around to meet her stare. He had eyes darker than his horse, which stared back at her with an intense expression. His face had a few dirt smudges, more prominent on his chin and cheek. Erica wondered if the stains were acquired in the dusty shed and knew she most likely looked worse. A small smile pulled at his face as he pulled his hat down in a respectful gesture, causing a blush to bloom on Erica's cheeks as she realized how attractive he was.

"Ma'am," he stated, stepping closer to her. "Are you alright?"

She smiled slightly up at him, looking back down to write using her propped knee. Erica could feel his questioning gaze, but fervently continued her writing.

_'I do apologize for my strange behavior, in both this act and my prior. I am not able to speak.'_ She bowed her head, handing him the paper.

She'd never been this close to a man outside of her family. Especially not one as were so close, that if Erica was taller she could have leaned her nose to touch his. A blush filled her face at the improper thought. It seemed that he realized the unseemly closeness, stepping back to read the note.

His brow furrowed some as he made a sound of acknowledgment. "Ah, well pardon me for not realizing sooner."

She knew that there was no possible way of him knowing or assuming, as it was so rare of a condition. But it was a kind gesture, one far different from what any other man would give her.

Erica reached for the paper, adding more words. _'I do believe I shall get going, my mother is waiting for me.'_

His eyes widened slightly, before a calm expression masked over his face. However, that small glimpse was enough to spark an unspoken question from Erica in the form of her eyebrows being raised.

He looked reluctant to speak, but his southern taught principles regained his composure. "I am truly sorry; the last group was evacuated twenty minutes ago."

It was as if cold water washed down her body with the way she felt. A deep rooted fear bloomed, constricting her throat and chest with its tangled pinch. Her breath caught with a hoarse squeak, her body naturally moving back into the wall with a thud that fell silent to her blood rushing ears. She could feel her head move, the denial shaking the appendage. But she could hardly feel it, her own emotions blinding her.

"Miss!" she could see him mouth the word above her, though she believed he may have been yelling. His face opened in panic, fingers quickly grabbing her arms.

In her thick fear, she fell back into the natural signing. "She would never leave me."

The words were signed over and over again, until her fingers hurt and her face pinched with tears that obscured her vision. The world seemed to have stopped, the air grew thicker, and her heart beat colliding with her very being.

She needed to know if her mother had actually left. The thought brought a small glimmer of hope, a light she could grasp on to and pull herself free with.

The paper in her hand was crumpled by now, but it would suffice.

With careful eyes, still rimmed in red, she watched him read her words.

"I'm sorry, there was no one left." There was an obvious regret in his tone. "Maybe your mother is still around here."

She was abandoned, that she knew clearly. She dispelled his false hope away, shaking her head and pulling her arms away.

As she walked, it felt like trudging through thick mud. Her heart was heavy, her dress far too constraining, and she'd never felt so lost.

"Now wait, I can't just let you go walking around alone !" The soldier with his smooth accent called from behind her, his loud voice barely concealing the sound of him getting on his horse. "It's not safe by yourself!"

Erica didn't care that he wouldn't understand, lifting her hands up all the same. "It's also common sense to make sure everyone has been evacuated."

As he trotted beside her, he must have somewhat understood the expression on her face. Looking down at her, he sighed lowly and straightened himself.

"I'll take you to Galveston, it's the nearest station and we can figure out what to do with you." He seemed honest enough with his intentions.

Still, Erica held a wavering hesitation. She wanted to be safe, but she also wanted to throw a fit and act like a child demanding for their mother. Shutting her eyes briefly, she nodded her head.

Continuing her stride, she was confused when he stopped his horse.

The soldier let out a small laugh. "Did you assume I'd make you walk all the way to Galveston?"

Erica blushed, ducking her head in embarrassment. She had simply believed that she could somehow do so.

The paper scrap had little space, so she used it to write a vague note. _'I need to pick up something first.'_

She nodded her head towards the farmhouse after handing him the note. He looked reluctant to abide by what she wanted, holding the reins to keep the horse still. But after a moment, he nodded his head and lowered himself from the horse. Once he was down, he extended his hand towards her.

Erica wasn't completely oblivious, but she still blushed at the gloved outstretched hand. Timidly, she placed her hand into his. Even with the muted yellow glove, she could feel the warmth of his hand. Though, that could have been caused by the heat.

With a fluid motion, he placed his hand on her waist and assisted her ascent onto the horse. The animal scoffed with the unfamiliar presence but allowed her to become situated. Erica kept her eyes squared solely on the distant home; feeling rather than watching the soldier sit behind her. The reins she delicately held onto were transferred into his own. Her face warmed and she was sure that he was doing the same.

In the thick of the heat, Erica could feel the full assault beam down on her. While beautiful, the horse and her dress proved to be hindering factors. The body heat behind and under her was almost exhausting to feel in the way it radiated.

Erica heard him clear his throat, feeling the way he suddenly sat up straighter. Looking back through the corner of her eye, she saw him pull out his own pocket watch. A scowl briefly creased his face as he tucked the object away.

"I'm truly sorry about this, but we need to reach Galveston before four." Erica didn't realize how much his words mattered until he suddenly pulled the horse in a different direction.

His arms moved around her, propriety forgotten in the plight. Erica realized it was to keep her from jumping, as the idea struck in her mind. But her arms were pinned to her side, her mouth frowning deeply with the urge to bite him in futile freedom. With a difficult twist, she looked back to see her small town become further away. She wasn't dumb; she knew there was no way for her to get off the horse. But it didn't stop her from kicking her feet and waving her head around in a way that sent hair flying.

Frustration poured out of her as she lost the hope of going back. They had only been riding for ten minutes by the time she slowed her struggle. Despite the desist of her actions, she refused to sit in a way that her body would even remotely touch his.

"I really am sorry and I promise to try and return for whatever it was that you needed to get." She slowly shook her head at the words, knowing his vow to be worth naught.

As they rode, she vowed to run off at the first chance she had .

That opportunity came sooner than she thought it would, as the soldier slowed his horse down. She knew they weren't near Galveston yet, but soon saw why he took such action. She noticed three feminine figures, dressed in frayed clothing. Even with the small distance, Erica saw how beautiful they were. At first, hope sparked at the idea of them being from her town but she knew they weren't. Unease set through her as he lifted her off the horse and set her towards them. Erica knew he assumed they had been left as well, but Erica knew better. She also knew now was the time to head back towards her house.

As they neared, Erica took it upon herself to run. Her sleeve slipped out of his unprepared fingers, her heart beating widely with the dash. She didn't stop to see if he was following, but heard no noise. Their voices grew distant and she smiled as she neared the forest lining. Breaking past the tree line, she heard a horrific scream. Her feet stopped before her mind, sending her body spiraling down with the lost momentum. The most her voice could offer was a hoarse gargle, her shoulder slamming down into the dirt. A sharp sting emitted from her cheek and there was a coincidental blotch of red on the nearest rock.

From behind her, the screams continued and grew louder as if getting closer. Heavy pants pulled out of her mouth, her heart beating wildly and fright easily displayed on her face. Vainly, she started to scream as best as she could, making pitiful coarse scoffs. She knew no one was close enough to hear her, even if they were his screams drowned it out.

"Hmm, how pathetic."

Erica's breathe caught, hearing the sultry voice above her. Cold fingers, that felt more like stone, ran against her cut. The pale finger pulled back, bringing a stain of Erica's blood with her.

Her lips mouthed the word 'help,' looking up at the woman with her tears. The cloudy gaze could not hide the bright red hue in the woman's eyes as she stared down with wicked amusement.

"What do you think, Lucy, she ran quite fast." The woman cooed, looking back at another that Erica couldn't see.

A scoff was heard, from behind the trees. "Ha, do what you will, Nettie. I don't care."

Erica couldn't understand why they were so flippant about the situation, trying and failing to lift herself off the ground.

"This is going to hurt." Her words promised, much to Erica's blurred confusion.

She was already in pain, emotionally and physically, she didn't think they could do any worse. But she was proven wrong, as a sudden and worse assault spread out from her neck.

Her mouth tore open with scratchy whimpers, a horrible burning pain attacking her body. Her spine arched into a position that could have snapped her, her fist grasping onto the nearest items and kicking as she thrashed. The pain was unimaginable, so great that it felt like she was being killed over and over again—each time more torturous than the last.

The pain felt as if it spanned on for an eternity, but as it did Erica felt wrong. It was impossible to discern anything but the pain she felt. Through that pain, she also found her hatred, remembering the faces of a man with blonde hair and an older woman with a gray braid. Erica was blind to her senses, barely hearing as scratches turned to curdling pleas for help.

But with the fire came relief. After an eternity of pain, she felt her raging attack dissipate, leaving her body. She wondered if that was her salvation, her repent after damnation. With the full force absence of pain, she felt different. With her eyes still screwed shut, she noticed an unnerving silence. There was a lack of noise, but abundance of scents. She could smell flowers, but almost as if it were unnatural and overly sweet. It sent her on edge.

"You can open your eyes now." It was the same voice from before, it belonged to the woman named Nettie.

She did as she asked, wariness invading her body. As she opened her eyes, everything was different. Her eyes immediately focused on the wood grain above her, the deep groves between the planks. She could see the dust specks float up as she sat straighter, the movement disrupting the blanket under her. As her eyes danced around the hyper sensitive surroundings, she noticed the woman standing in the doorway. With a speed not even her best horse could reach, Erica threw herself off the bed and into a crouch.

The woman with the pale blonde hair rolled her eyes, stepping closer. "You think she'd be nicer to her creator."

"We could have just drained you." Another voice, Lucy she remembered, chimed, backing Erica into a corner.

"Stay away!" Someone yelled, startling Erica even more as she realized it belonged to her.

A breathe caught, her anger and caution forgotten as she slumped to the floor with a grasp on her throat.

"T-That was me?" Erica spoke more to hear her voice than have an answer.

The two vampires watched her, Nettie with a smile of sorts. A smile Erica timidly let grace her own face. Her voice had been nothing like she imagined. It was lighter and softer than her mother's, or even her bubbly friend Amy. Her voice almost sounded like the pretty bell chimes her mother enjoyed placing on their front porch.

But with that high elation, came a crashing thought. "Did I die?"

"Why do they always assume they've died?" Lucy asked sardonically, propping her hand on her hip in boredom.

She assumed that meant she was still alive.

"See for yourself." Nettie said vaguely, handing Erica a small handheld mirror.

Erica could see every chip and scratch on the once polished metal handle, so mesmerized with her finds she almost missed the reflection staring back at her. The girl she once looked like was gone, replaced by a delicately featured woman. Her face looked soft and pretty, like the paintings she knew Lidia sighed at every morning that hung in her house. Her hair played around her jaw line, looking more sophisticated than boyish. The nose she once thought as too red was now as pale as the new hue her skin took, with a small upturn at the end of it. Her lips had been her best feature and were now redder and pulled into an evenly matched pout. Her eyes were frightening, a bold red brightness that took the place of her comforting hazel hue. But they did nothing to take away the glamorous beauty she now held. But while she was pretty, she valued her voice more than any of it.

"Why did you do this to me? How?" Erica began her onslaught of inquires, putting the mirror on the barrel beside her.

She hardly realized her fingers followed along, signing the words with practiced memory.

"All in due time," Nettie told her, just as unclear as before. "Now stand up, you have to meet someone."


	21. Chapter 20: Soothsaying

**AN: A gigantic thank you to my beta reader SheikahLover! :D  
**

**Chapter Disclaimer: This chapter takes place several weeks after chapter 19. **

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Chapter 20:

In the last few weeks, Erica has come to realize that there weren't many things in this world that she was afraid of. In fact, she only needed one hand to count out each of her fears— and she would still have fingers left over too. Erica was absolutely frightened of public speaking, or rather watching her teacher speak for her during class because she obviously could not. Her other fear would be presenting her art to others—even showing Amy, her _best friend_ made her feel funny. You know that kind of funny. The one where you feel as though your stomach is full of butterflies that just want to escape but are unable to. Her last, and most serious, fear would be her fright regarding spiders. There was something about the eight legged creature that made her skin crawl and her fingers twitch. As someone who used their hands often, she didn't like her hands twitching each time she even thought of a spider. Out of all the things Erica feared, she had never felt such things directed at another person before, until now.

Today, Erica was asked to meet Alice at the mall. She didn't think it was possible to feel such fear, now harboring a feeling that blew away all of her other frights.

"_C'mon _Erica!" Alice pouted from behind the other side of the curtain. "It's just a dress!"

She threw her small hands underneath the small gap between the floor and purple velvet. "_It isn't just a dress, it's_ _a pink dress_!"

Alice made a small scoffing noise that sounded much more graceful coming from her than it did Erica. "Firstly, you're being overly dramatic. Secondly, it's peach, not pink."

Erica rolled her eyes and looked down at the offending dress. She wasn't completely out of the loop when it came to fashion, she actually rather liked shopping for clothes. But she simply didn't like wearing anything far away from her comfort level. Yellow, or any tone of gray, was comfortable to her. Pink, or _peach, _however made her feel like a baby clothed in nothing but her own blush. She supposed the stripes were a bit nice. Her fingers ran down the front of the dress, feeling the bumps of lace between each smooth stripe.

"_See!_" Alice's smug voice started. "Even you have to admit that this dress is pretty."

As her hands reached the thick ribbon on her waist, she lifted her head up to meet the eyes of her reflection. It was a very modest dress, with sleeves that almost hovered over her shoulders and a neckline that barely showed her collarbone. She could hardly see the scar she had on her neck, from an incident in her second week of senior year. The scar almost matched the pale pink lace, being over a month old.

Erica sighed quietly, though the noise was loud enough to fill the small space. With a small pop from her knees, Erica sat down against the mirrored wall and put her hands under the curtain.

"_It doesn't matter if I'm liking this color or not. It doesn't change the fact that it's autumn and ridiculously cold._" Erica pointed out the obvious, rubbing her knees afterwards.

From her lower position Erica could see Alice stomp her boot covered foot on the ground. "Ugh, Erica, fashion doesn't abide to the rules of nature."

Sometimes, Erica felt a deep connection to Alice. Their viewpoint on logic was not something she connected to, however.

"_When the hell would I even wear this?"_ Erica asked, holding back a full smile at the antics outside the curtain.

She titled her head up, as if she was watching Alice and waiting for an answer.

"Well, I'm not one for predicting and telling." She replied ambiguously.

She had to scoff at that, finding the statement completely ridiculous. "_You're such a liar."_

The assessment was true, just last week she had called Erica just to tell her she had a good vision of her future. She promptly ended the call, after shouting a thank you to Erica for something that had yet to happen.

"I'm offended you would say that, Erica." She could hear Alice's light amusement. "Now get up, or I'm coming in!"

Despite being fully clothed, Erica shot up from the ground and placed her hand against the small carabiner that kept the curtain shut. As if that action could stop anyone from pushing through the flimsy fabric—especially someone like Alice.

With little movements, Erica unlatched the metal clip and let her head peak out. Alice looked less than impressed, rolling her bright amber eyes and grabbed Erica's arm. Reflexively, despite having her brace taken off last week, she clenched up her arm. Thankfully, she felt no jarring pain from the minor wound.

"Hmm, I really wish your hair was a bit longer." Alice hummed, tugging lightly at the hair skimming Erica's jawline.

"_Alice, you have short hair too."_

"Shush, that's not the point." She watched her stick her small nose up in the air. "The point is that I really wanted to do something other than just clipping your hair back."

"_You could try to give me one of those middle aged dad pony tails." _Erica suggested with a snort, pulling her hair back for emphasis.

Alice scrunched up her nose, batting Erica's hands away from the hair. "Yeah, no. I'll just go find some cute headbands instead."

"I found that skirt!" Both girls turned around to see Amy waving a piece of black fabric around like a surrender flag. "I had to climb through the skirt display to find your size, but it was worth it because I found myself a scarf."

Erica shook her head slowly, gently pulling the skirt away and tucking it in her elbow. "_You're ridiculous."_

"Nice dress!" Amy commented, ignoring Erica's jab.

Erica felt Alice swat her arm. "Why can't you be that enthusiastic?"

"_Because I didn't stop at the coffee kiosk." _Erica shrugged, leaning against the wall and nearly knocking over a display. "_Though, that doesn't explain your energy."_

"You'll find out one day." Alice told her, turning her attention back to the dress. "Hmm, okay you can take it off now."

"_Does that mean you've finally seen the light and are agreeing with me?" _Erica could only hope.

"Nope! It just means I'm going to go and buy it." She said happily, latching her arm through Amy's.

"_But I can't even wear this no matter what season; it's not from one of the eco-friendly stores." _Erica argued gently, slipping her fingers underneath the satin ribbon.

"Just say it's mine for my birthday." Alice told her instantly, no doubt already knowing the statement before Erica said it.

"_We don't wear the same size."_

"Say it's mine!" Amy chimed in, pulling herself away from the display of bracelets.

"_Again, not the same size._"

Both girls sighed in exasperation, sharing a look.

Alice smirked. "Say it's Rosalie's."

"_Ha ha ha, you're so funny." _Erica deadpanned with serious sarcasm.

"She is your boyfriend's twin." Amy cackled, Alice quickly joining.

Erica felt a blush bloom on her skin, feeling warm underneath the store lights. "_He's _not_ my boyfriend."_

"Sure he's not."

"Just give it time!"

Erica turned on her heel, still tinged red as they continued their banter. She followed her feet back into the dressing room, avoiding the reflection.

* * *

Despite having a few more weeks between her and that note, Erica felt as if she had done it a lifetime ago. In the short span of a few weeks, Erica felt more comfortable around the Cullen's. She found herself considering her daily moments with them to be normal, forgetting the fact that they were anything but normal. She still didn't know what exactly they were, though the desire to know still lingered, she wasn't as afraid of their beauty and strangeness as compared to before. Maybe her note helped more than she thought, because it wasn't just her considering them normal. It felt as if _Jasper _considered her as something more than an inconvenience. No longer was she "the human that ruined their secrecy," but rather something new.

Sadly, she was only upgraded to "Erica the study partner," rather than anything anything glamorous.

"Okay, I think that's enough studying."

Thankfully, Esme was there to save the day—as she usually did.

Both teenagers, though Erica still held suspicion on that regarding Jasper, looked up to see Esme standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a way that would have felt fake on any other person; even Lidia wouldn't have been able to look natural in the deep blue wrap dress. As Esme walked forward, her heels barely made a noise on the wooden floors. Smiling slightly, Erica shut the heavy history book in front of her.

"We've only been here for thirty minutes." Jasper disagreed, looking less than interested despite his words.

"_Don't be so disrespectful to Esme._" Erica told him lightly, lifting up one of the corners of her mouth.

As she expected, he rolled his eyes. "You need to study, last week you managed to barely pass your test."

Erica shrugged, not particularly bothered. "_Eh, doesn't matter. No college will turn down a mute girl—its bad PR." _

He looked less than amused, Esme's face holding an opposite expression. "I don't think that's how it works."

The two hardly noticed Esme slip away from the room, too busy with their excessive eye rolls.

"_Just because you've gone to college more times than I can count, doesn't mean you have a better understanding than I do."_

"No, I'm fairly certain that means I do."

Erica sighed, sitting back down. "_Fine, fine, where were we?"_

It seemed that not even Esme could rescue Erica from the horrors of "secondary language patterns globally."

"Russia." He replied, not even looking down at the book as he found the page.

"_You do realize this information will never matter again after this semester."_ She told him, idly reading the pages.

He didn't reply, so she continued. "_Unless I find myself absolutely needing to know why Japan is incomparable to Texas, then I'll practically owe you my soul."_

"Don't say that."

She didn't even realize he was listening, or watching, what she was saying. By the tone he used, Erica wasn't oblivious enough to see past his sudden irritation.

"_Fine then, Japan is absolutely comparable to Texas." _She huffed, confused by his behavior. "_I didn't realize you were so touchy when it came to secondary languages."_

She unabashedly watched him grab at his hair, waiting for his reaction. "It's so easy to forget you're a human."

Erica knew they could talk quieter than that, having been privy of those moments between Alice and Edward. So she assumed he was either that upset, or did want her to hear what he said.

"Stop being so upset, she didn't mean it that way and you know it." Erica looked up at her unlikely hero, Rosalie.

It was a good thing that Erica didn't get insecure easily, as she didn't think she would be able to come around the Cullen house as often if she did. Rosalie easily towered over them, using the height advantage from their seated position.

"She doesn't even know what we are." She told Jasper, sending careful gazes to Erica. "It'll stay that way as long as you don't run your mouth."

She noticed a pattern with Rosalie. While not completely hating Erica, she always seemed to be around a corner and stepping in when she deemed appropriate. She liked Rosalie, even if they didn't see eye-to-eye on certain things. They were both relatable, dealing with being the "freaks of the town", as Erica had said when they first spoke to each other that time on the back deck. Sometimes, she still heard what Rosalie said, about appreciating the life she had. It didn't make her angry, as it did before. She didn't exactly know how she felt, truthfully.

She kept her fingers in her lap, watching them.

"I _know _that." He replied tersely.

Rosalie titled her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. "You're afraid you can't prevent what Alice foretold."

Even Erica knew what that meant. It was a heavy realization that maybe the future isn't as set in stone as she believed. A part of her was actually upset to know they wanted to change her future.

To gather their attention, as they began to rapidly speak in hushed tones, Erica picked up her history book and dropped it on the floor. The resulting noise was loud enough to snap their attention and cause her to flinch away from the sound.

"_I don't know why you think my opinion doesn't matter when it concerns _my _future._" Erica snapped, thankful Alice managed to find a headband strong enough to keep her hair from flying around as her shoulders shook with the signing.

To her small amusement, they almost looked guilty. But she wasn't done yet.

"_I'm so tired of _everyone _assuming they know what's best for me_." Her face felt warm, but she wasn't nearly done yet. "_Whether or not you find it in yourselves to accept it, I'm the only one in control of my future._ _You can't just pretend you know what's best for me, especially when you hardly know me."_

Erica began to fizzle out. "_I've gone almost eighteen years without your interference; I'm sure as hell not going to need you for the rest."_

She felt like she had just professed that Santa wasn't real to a group of five year olds, guilty and was slightly proud by the action.

"Well, I see that I don't have to worry about you being stupid." Rosalie finally spoke, leaving the room with a definitive snap of her shoes.

The silence between them was thick and tension filled.

"_I think I should go home now ._" Erica signed meekly, dropping her hands to fiddle with the pocket on her shirt.

* * *

**AN: I would love to hear your reaction to this chapter! :) Btw, whoooohoo! We made it over a hundred reviews! :O  
**

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**Review Replies for chapter 19(15 in one case) :**

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SheikahLover: **Yesss! I swear, I still get really giddy reading this review! :P **

GhostlySights: **Ahh thank you! :) **

AngelWeasleyxxx:**Yesssss**. **I can't even begin to say how many times I wish I could just make them burst with fluffy scenes. ^~^ Thank you! :)**

TaTa B-P: **Haha thank you! ;P She might not have spent a sunny day in this chapter, but I definitely plan on them having a "sparkly" moment. **

lizy2000: **Thank you! :D I hope you like the chapter! **

bbraetho: **Nah, love professions are never too straightforward. ;P Aaah thank you!:D**

Guest: **Thank you! :)**

gossamermouse101: **Thank you, I hope you like this chapter! :)**

Mia: **Yesss always read fanfiction! (I'm a great role model) Thank you! :) **

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**Review Replies for chapter 20 (8 in one case) :**

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Reader: **Well, firstly I will say thank you for not being downright mean about your opinion. :) To explain my actions, I wanted everyone to be able to read the one-shot, as most don't read an author note stating I've put one up. A prime example of readers ignoring notes would be you- I clearly stated in both a note, disclaimer, and chapter title that the slot of "chapter 20" was for a one-shot in 1863.I said the one-shot does not connect to my story, beside the obvious fact that both contain Jasper and Erica.  
**

GhostlySights: **It was soo fun to write her with an actual voice- it made me so giddy. :P Yes! I really want to write a part 2 for them. **

TaTa B-P:**Thaaaank you! ^-^ I think (as I really want to) will end up posting(writing) part 2 after a few regular chapters here. :D  
**

jasmine. : **Aah, thank you! :) **

TroubleBecca123: **Thank you! You're review makes me so excited to write a part 2! All will be revealed about what happened in part 2, as well! :D**

gossamermouse101: **Yes! Very, very bad Lidia! I had to adjust the divorce of her parents to fit the times in 1863. :P  
**

SheikahLover: **Thank you! ^~^ Aah, I'm so glad that you thought everything seemed good! I was really worried about posting that one-shot. :) Yes! Ah, in the future, part 2 will show how amazed Erica is. (Like to the point where she says everything on her mind and becomes annoying, but who cares because she can talk! ) A thousand and one thank you's bub! ^-^  
**

Lumy-san: **Thank you so much! I was so worried that I would be so offbeat regarding Erica, so that's really reassuring to hear! :) I hope you liked this chapter, as it has more Jasper and Erica. :)Oh thank you god, I seriously thought my computer was going crazy. I dunno, it just seems so specific for each review that she can't just be a bot. I seriously think it might be some troll making fun of us.  
**

CrystalVixen93: **Thank you! I hope you like this chapter! :)**

Willow Willa: **Thank you! Well, it may be bad to say, but I always find myself reading fanficiton instead of studying (like right now).. oops. ;P Aah, you're so kind! Thank you! :D That's seriously the highest compliment to give. :) I feel like I'm saying this too much, but thank you! **

Guest: **Thank you! :)**

.x23: **Aah thank you! :D I hope you like this chapter! **

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with the Twilight franchise, nor am I writing this to earn money. **

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**Once again, thank you so much to SheikahLover! **

**Thank you so much! I'm so overwhelmed by the wonderful support! :)  
**


	22. Chapter 21: Make Amends

**Thank you to my beta, SheikahLover, you're simply amazing! :) **

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Chapter 21:

In the end, she stayed.

There were many things that Erica could have done following her small fit. She could have embarrassingly tried to walk all the miles between the Cullen house and hers, she could have faced an awkward three minutes of silence in a car, or she could have simply pretended that she didn't do anything out of the norm and sit down.

Fate, so it seemed, was on her side, as she only had to wait a few seconds for Alice to save her. Out of all the people she could have offended, Alice was the most likely to not take any offense. Despite Erica's fit, Alice was far happier than she should have been. If the role was reversed, and it was Alice shouting such things back at Erica, Erica didn't think she would have that big of a grin on her face.

"_Oh_, you should have seen the face he made!" Alice boasted, giggling behind her hand as she used the other to shut the door. "He looked like a pouting toddler."

"_I was a bit busy yelling at him to notice things like that._" Erica replied rather sheepishly.

She did feel guilty, as she most likely would for a while. At the moment, she couldn't even look at any of them properly. Currently, she preferred to hide her face in one of the many decorative pillows her friend owned.

She practically heard Alice roll her eyes. "It's all for the great scheme of things."

The reminder should have made her angry; truthfully she would have only a minute prior. Hearing, constantly, that everyone seemed to know more about her fate was wearing her down. She didn't seem to have any idea of what the future held, only that they all became entangled the moment that Erica was assigned the momentous history paper weeks ago. Maybe she owed all her gratitude to Mr. Doyle.

_"__Do you think I should send Mr. Doyle a thank you letter?"_ She asked suddenly with a perturbed expression.

If she had a voice, she was sure she would sound genuinely concerned. _"__Because, after all, he was the catalyst of your 'great scheme.'"_

"Well, if you want to get technical, then we'd need to send one to your parents too." Alice told her, moving around the room as she rearranged trinkets. "Mr. Doyle didn't force you to be a snoop—that trait came from your parents."

_"__I'm a regular Alice in Wonderland." _ Erica slowly slouched back into her pillow. _"__Except I didn't get a pretty little rabbit hole and a tea party; instead, I got seven immortals and a shoulder brace."_

"It healed!" Alice replied in justification. "Sheesh, you have got to let that go."

_"__Isn't it a bit ironic that the clairvoyant is telling me to let go of the past?"_

"Isn't it ironic that the mute has a lot to say?"

_"Touché."_

* * *

"Well, Erica, I really don't know what to say." Amy began slowly, not hiding the small spark of excitement. "Though, I would pay to watch you say that to them again."

Erica rolled her eyes, expecting that answer. _" __Real helpful, Amy."_

Her closest friend shrugged carelessly, lifting a bowl of garbanzo beans up to her nose, grimacing. "Do you think we can order a pizza?"

"I'm still confused." Both girls looked to the doorway that Mia walked in through.

Ten minutes prior, Erica had called Mia over to spend the Sunday with Amy and her. She didn't know if she trusted Mia completely yet, which is why she briefed Amy on anything supernatural first before Mia came over. As far as Mia was concerned, Erica was only having "boy trouble."

"I thought you were dating Jasper?" Mia elaborated, shrugging off her rain jacket.

Erica shrugged, pulling out the notebook she had on the counter. With Mia over, it would be easier to use a mixture of sign language and writing, that way Amy would have less to translate. _'__It'd be simpler if I could say yes.'_

"There's _nothing _simple about you, Eri." Amy immediately laughed, getting up to pull a dining chair closer to them for Mia to sit down.

"What's so complicated about it?" Mia asked unknowingly. "You like him; he must obviously think you're at the very least decent."

She sighed loudly. _"__You sound like Amy. This is not a boy meets girl film."_

After Amy translated, Mia rolled her dark eyes. "How many girls in Forks does Jasper talk to? _Outside _of his family, hmm?"

_"None._" Erica begrudgingly admitted, looking down at her shoes.

"Then why can't you two date?"

Erica scribbled something down on a piece of paper and passed it to Amy.

_' Because p__latonic attraction doesn't usually create the perfect relationship.__'_

Amy read the note and shot Erica a funny expression. "Have you always sounded like the slip of paper in between a cookie?"

"Shh!" Mia told her, looking over Amy and back at Erica. "I've decided that I will prove to you that Jasper Cullen—"

_"__Hale."_

"—likes you." She vowed, ignoring her contribution.

"How would we even convince her?" Amy sighed dramatically.

Erica watched both girls, silently intrigued. Even _she _wanted to know what Mia would say. Originally, she didn't think that Mia would actually be interested in her. Throughout high school, they had hardly spoken. But presently, Erica might even consider her a friend.

"Well, I didn't think that far ahead."

"Mia!"

She rolled her eyes. _"__None of it matters, the moment I snapped was when I screwed everything up for me and Jasper." _

It seemed like a good idea, originally, to have her friends over while Heather went out with her colleagues. Now, all Erica wanted to do was go back to bed.

With her face angled down, she could feel two hands placed over her shoulders. Following, four arms wrapped themselves around her in an awkward hug. The gesture was uplifting, but the height difference gave Mia a mouthful of Amy's ponytail. Erica ended up with someone's bracelet over her nose.

_"__You guys are going to suffocate me."_

_"_What'd she say?" Mia asked, tightening her arms. Or maybe it was Amy.

"She said keep hugging."

* * *

Mondays proved to be Erica's least favorite day. In most cases, she dealt with the aftermath of Lidia doing something her mother didn't approve of. Sometimes, Erica had to arrange for Mrs. Clear to pick her up the night before—but she had forgotten. This led to her standing in the rain and waiting with Amy for Mrs. Clear.

"How many times do I have to say sorry?" Amy asked, quickly lifting her English book over her head.

Erica rolled her eyes, swatting Amy's hand. _"__You need that book."_

"_Please_, as if I was ever going to need to know several synonyms for the word jubilant." Amy told her. "I'm going to be a marine biologist, not a poet."

Still, it made Erica cringe as she saw the water hit the slick cover of the book. She hoped the cover would protect the material inside, though she doubted they would remain smooth after today.

"Uh oh—tall, blonde, and trouble is coming over."

Erica snapped her head past Amy to see Jasper striding towards them. For a brief moment, she let herself watch his walk, straight and proper like any other soldier. It seemed it didn't matter how long ago it had been, that habit was engraved in his being. Unlike them, he actually had an umbrella. It was black, just like she assumed all the other Cullen's used. If he wasn't so unique, she would have called him inconspicuous. But Jasper Hale was anything _but _inconspicuous, he was significantly different.

"Can I talk to you?" He inquired quietly, not even glancing at the excited Amy.

Erica almost felt bad for Amy, it seemed like she could just burst from sheer elation at the prospect of standing so close to Jasper.

To his question, she shot a small look at her hands and then raised her eyebrow.

"She means yes." Amy answered, walking backwards slowly. Erica noticed she still stayed within earshot.

She watched him take a deep breath in, putting one hand behind his back before speaking. "I've realized that we shouldn't have been talking around you."

_"__And?" _She prompted.

"I'm sorry that we didn't include you in the discussion."

_"__Because?"_

He let out a sigh. "_Because _I was being unfair."

_"__Which means you're?"_

"I'm sorry."

Erica let out a short nod, lifting her hands up again. _"I need you to understand, Jasper, that f__or most of my life I've had people shelter me."_

She didn't pause to see his face. _"I don't need my life decided for me; I just need someone willing to follow along for whatever may happen— and not lead."_

She hardly noticed the rain was no longer falling on her face anymore, for she felt far too warm. She didn't think he understood what she almost implied, but the insinuation still affected her.

"It upset you that much." He didn't ask, but more so acknowledged.

_"__I'm just tired of having zero control over my own life." _She told him, feeling as if she was continuously spilling on giant secret.

"Then you should stay away from our family," he all but whispered.

Erica's eyes narrowed at the remark. The last thing she wanted to do was cut all ties of between her and the Cullen's. Maybe a month ago she would have, but not now that she had actual personal connections with them. Erica genuinely enjoyed talking with Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, she spent most of her time trailing after Alice, found herself actually laughing along with Emmett, enjoying the times Edward played piano for her, and she even liked knowing that Rosalie didn't mind sitting in the same room with her . Jasper, in contrast, she simply enjoyed him as a whole.

_"__There you go again, telling me what to do." _From her height point, she could see his jaw tense.

"I'm trying to—"

For being silent, her hand gestures really knew how to cut someone off. _"__To what? Control my future just because it involves you?"_

"Protect you." He finished quietly, stunning her enough to drop her hands.

She didn't say anything, choosing to watch him turn around and leave instead. Amy was wrong; Erica wasn't living a romantic movie starring herself and Jasper. Even _if_ she was left behind in the rain after a valiant claim.

* * *

**_The Night Before: Outside POV_**

"Do you understand what this means?" Alice asked slowly, a Cheshire grin taking over her face.

_There wasn't much to see in the vision. For a moment, only trees filled the small space. It was raining slightly and the sky was gray and cold, indicating they were still in Forks. She could smell something distinctly not native to the forest, and she could smell an odd blend of industrial paint and something vibrantly fruity. It was then the vision turned around showing two figures. They ran at an impossible speed, something only Alice would definitely be able to see perfectly due to her heightened senses. _

_"Hey! You're cheating!" One of the voices called, in a tone completely foreign to Alice's ears._

_"You can't keep saying that each time you lose!" The other voice, even more so indistinguishable, yelled back._

_ It was obvious now that it was two girls racing, two girls that Alice had never seen before; though one did look familiar. Then it hit her. That girl was Erica. _

_Erica was so unlike she had ever seen before. Not only was she speaking, in a light dainty voice, mind you, but she also had a different appearance. Even with her head turned back towards the other figure, Alice could see that the girl's hair was several inches longer and even paler than before. Her body was still short, but it wasn't as soft as before. As she turned back around, Alice saw the vibrant red hue her eyes held._

"Was that Erica?" Edward asked carefully, reviewing the vision in Alice's mind several times before voicing his thoughts aloud.

Alice laughed instead, looking far too satisfied. "Isn't this great! She'll be with us forever."

Outside the room, someone else had a very different definition of great.

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**AN: Ooooh first we get Jasper apologizing _and _a vision. Hmm, who do you guys think was listening? :)  
**

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**Willow Willa: Fanfiction is definitely more fun. ;P Oh, thank you! You're really too kind! :) You can definitely get an account, even if you don't want to publish. Yess, an empowered Erica is just so fun to see! Haha, yes, Erica and history do not get along. Oh thank you so much, this was a really nice review! :D**

**TaTa B-P: Aah thank you! ^~^ I feel like Erica was almost more "heel boy" in this one, towards him. ;P**

**SheikahLover: Ahh, I just love writing Erica's sarcasm. It's one of the joys in my life. ;P Hahaha! Yesss! I feel like Jasper became an Episode of Spongebob in his offense. Erica may as well said "Texas is stupid." ;D I feel like we all would have done that, completely melted in a puddle at Rosalie even glaring. Erica is basically superhuman. xP**

**mamasatan27: Thank you! :) I hope you like this one as well!**

**.x23: (I've just noticed that each time I type your name, the site defaults to half of it- I'm really sorry about that. :/ ) Aaaah thank you! :D I'm so glad you like their progress! I was so afraid of making it seem unrealistic, or *shudder* out of character. ;P I hope you like this one as well! :) **

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**Thank you so much, bubs! :D**


	23. Chapter 22: Monsters

**A million thank you's to the most brilliant beta reader-SheikahLover! ^-^ **

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Chapter 22:

_"What's your favorite subject in school?"_

It was one day after Jasper both apologized and completely confused her. At first, she wasn't sure how to act when seeing him again. However, she quickly realized that he took incentive of that matter. Right now, Jasper sat as far away from her as possible, placing a decorative table between them. Even now, with distance between them, she could hardly meet his eyes. Originally, she found herself hoping that they could simply pretend it never happened, such as mask any awkwardness that formed between them. Now that they actually were, skirting over his admission, it made her feel suffocated. Never before had she wanted so badly to speak or preferably yell. Her muteness was an obvious barrier, especially since he could easily ignore her signing.

As Erica tried to formulate some sort of plan, an idea that tangled with all the other schemes in her life, she found herself applying basic ice breakers.

With a pointed drop of her pencil to gather his attention, she repeated her question. _"What's your favorite subject in school?"_

With her focus fully directed on him, she watched as Jasper smiled slightly. She easily ignored the small thrum of her heart at the small quirk of his lips, anticipating his answer. For herself, it was easy to identify art as her favorite subject, the small splotches of paint at the end of her sleeves and the stains on her palm were a large indication. When she looked at Jasper, she couldn't see an outward answer. There were no marks on his skin from a book or pencil being constantly used, nor did she believe he was even bodily capable of such skin markings. After he became comfortable around her, he didn't mind pulling her by the sleeve. Though, it was usually when she tried to get out of studying, which was quite infrequent. But in those few touches, it felt like a cold statue was trying to guide her back to the living room.

As Erica watched him, she saw a blank piece of paper. More often than not, he remained completely unemotional, which she found to be repetitively ironic. It was almost unfair that he knew what she felt and Erica could rarely see his emotions.

But now, she saw his face twitch, just the slightest upturn of his mouth. Finally, she had obtained some form of response!

"Erica, why do you think I offered to help you with history?" Jasper asked with humor coloring his words.

Erica sighed lifting her hands up in a rehearsed manner, not forming the connection as she did. _"Because without you I would end up as a statistic."_

For a fleeting moment she almost thought she saw his smile widen, right before his eyebrow twitched along with his sigh.

"Erica, I fought in the Civil War."

In the back of her throat, she made a noise of realization. _"Oh."_

"That and Alice told me to." For a moment she scowled, her expression deepening as Jasper fully grinned at her.

Even that slight gesture had her heart stuttering, her face heating up as she let her eyes fall back towards her book.

_"Well then, Mister 'I-fought-in-the-war,' why don't we continue the lesson?"_ Erica attempted to direct them back; thankful she didn't have a voice in that moment.

She didn't think she'd have been able to speak to him without wavering or stuttering. He was just that blinding. Of course, maybe Erica just had a greater soft spot for a nice smile.

Unlike what she expected, Jasper didn't continue the lesson but instead chose to stare at her quizzically. For a fleeting moment, Erica was worried that she actually did look ridiculous in one of the decorative headbands Alice gifted her with. As someone who regularly preferred hiding behind her naturally grown curtain, it wasn't too far-fetched for her to think that she would look silly without her features hidden.

But when his small grin, a far cry from the emotionless state he usually donned, warped into something unrecognizable, Erica began to wonder if she looked back at him with that same expression. It was heavy, startling, and light at the same time.

As usual, however, she had to ruin the moment. That act came in the form of her opening her mouth and suggesting they go back to their schoolwork. It was a far cry from what she really wanted to do, but schoolwork was admittedly more PG Friendly and easier on her nerves. She wouldn't have had the courage anyway, to do something so crazy.

* * *

The art room smelled distinctly of cold industrial paints. It was a scent so beautifully familiar to Erica. Whenever she even walked by the room she was hit with a waft of familiar pungent smells that always made her smile. Sometimes it was stronger, when she knew they would get to use a new set of paints, or even different when Miss Taylor brought out the heavy sculpting materials.

Today there was no new box of sky blue paints, or something of the like, as she imagined, instead Miss Taylor was sitting on her desk waiting for the students to sit down. Not excitedly announcing her newest shipment of supplies. There was a small smile pulling at the corners of the art teacher's lips , she noticed, hiding underneath the normally pulled back curly hair. The absence of her hair band wasn't the only odd thing; Miss Taylor was also wearing standard faculty clothing for a change. The paint spattered and time worn t-shirt and apron combo was missing, with a neat and crisp blue blouse taking its spot. Her pants were actually tailored for her body, the hem not longer than her leg or frayed at the bottom.

"Alright, under personal obligation, I will tell you that I've spent all morning before school in a meeting." As she paused, her eyes flitted over every seated face.

Erica almost shivered in worry when the angular face was directed towards her.

Miss Taylor lifted up her thin hand. "Now before you worry, I'll let you know that it wasn't anything regarding my job position here."

"Thank god." Amy whispered quietly near Erica, her voice almost drowned out by the other student's sentiments.

A small smile broke out on Erica's face at the reassurance. Even if it was her last year, she dreaded to think that the future students wouldn't get to enjoy a genuinely amazing teacher.

With a small smile, her order countered her tone. "Okay, settle down everyone."

It seemed that everyone was listening with rapt attention as they were all leaning forward as Miss Taylor slowly got up and circled the room. The heels on her feet made small noises against the scuffed gray linoleum flooring.

"The University Of Washington School Of Arts has extended the offer of ten scholarships for students within the state." For a moment, Erica couldn't breathe. "There's several requirements needed to even apply for the scholarship program they are hosting. If you look on your syllabus there is an information flyer stapled on the back."

In the usually rambunctious classroom, the odd noise of silence and paper flipping filled the air. With her eyes nearly shut in anticipation, Erica pulled the last page forward and scanned the paper.

"Well, I'm out." Amy announced, letting the paper fall down onto the table. "I need at least three years of art training _and _actual proof of talent."

"_Didn't you want to go into the science field?"_ Erica asked with an amused snort.

She watched Amy dramatically throw her hands up. "Well, now I have no choice but to study marine biology."

Erica was excited, she had _four _years of art classes and she wasn't half bad at Impressionism painting. It was the only excuse she had at her dashes and scribbles, as long as she said it was interpretation it was good art.

"Judging by your expressions I see that Forks has a good chance at snagging a few scholarships." Their teacher laughed, walking past the windows and yanking the blinds open.

"Now, you have ten minutes to draw the window."

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Across from Erica, inside the beautiful Cullen Manor, Alice and Amy squealed wildly. It was an odd sight, the comparison of the vertically challenged Alice leaning against the statuesque height that Amy had. Erica had opted to sit in one of the decorative chairs, a square pillow resting in her arms.

As soon as the bell rung Erica, left the history classroom and was immediately snatched by an overeager Alice. Amy, who had been trailing behind her, followed the smallest girl's lead and wrapped her arm around Erica's free side. With her hands pinned against the other girls, Erica had no choice but to follow their path outside the school.

Erica, it seemed, was finally used to the glamour that surrounded the Cullen's. She wasn't acting nearly as excited as Amy was when they were seated in the back of one of the luxury cars. It was amusing to watch Amy flush and giggle around Edward, it also made her wonder if she responded that way to Jasper's presence. Edward's silent smirk from the driver's seat had told her the answer.

Now that they sat inside the home, an underlying sound of piano playing gracing their ears, Erica felt an odd sense of familiarity; like she just belonged, surrounded by her two dearest friends in a house that had more than welcomed her. Even after her nearly jeopardizing their personal security.

"Alright Erica, why don't you tell us what happened in art earlier." There was a certain twinkle in Alice's eye; one she knew was caused by her own foreknowledge rather than being informed by the brunette next to her.

Smiling abashedly, with that pillow clinging tighter against her chest, Erica poised her hands. Before she could sign, several whooshes of air blurred by and the room was suddenly filled with more people. In the space behind the loveseat, Edward now stood beside Amy. He cringed briefly down at her, no doubt at whatever caused her small smirk once she noticed him. Next to him, Esme smiled widely in a beautiful blush pink dress while Carlisle lovingly wrapped an arm around her. There was a small burst of wind from behind her, one that lifted the straight ends of her hair. She already knew who was behind her, even before she felt his hand on her shoulder. It was Jasper.

Shooting a confused quirk of her eyebrows to Alice, she watched the girl clarify. "I told them that we had great news."

"But you didn't say anything?" Amy told her, looking even more confused than Erica, missing the small smile Edward flashed.

Stopped again from signing her potential opportunity, Alice squealed loudly. "I just can't keep it secret any longer!"

"_Alice._" Edward warned, shaking his head with a small laugh.

With her wide eyed gaze, Erica prompted her to continue. "Erica will get the scholarship to the University Of Washington School Of Arts! You'll end up apply next month and your work impresses the scouts. By the way, your entry piece is brilliant."

Gasping loudly, Erica's hands flew to her mouth. She felt so many emotions, excitement and relief were the most prominent. Her mouth opened with a muted laugh, one she forcibly kept from croaking. Delighted congratulatory statements were directed towards her, all from one person in the room.

She knew it was rude to expect a congratulations from someone, but she thought Jasper would at the very least smile. Instead, his face twisted into an expression akin to disappointment. Beneath her excitement, she was upset by his reaction. She would rather see his unemotional expression that he usually donned for school instead of his current look.

Alice still smiled before producing an excuse for all of them to leave the room. Even Amy disappeared in a blur, lifted up by Edward. Erica could only imagine how much she enjoyed that.

Erica wasn't even sure where to start, watching him for a moment as Jasper sat down across from her. "_Aren't you going to say anything?"_

"You shouldn't get your hopes up; Alice's visions can easily change." He replied, his eyes looking past her.

_"Excuse me?" _She asked him incredulously, her mouth agape. "_You couldn't even pretend to be happy for me?"_

He didn't answer, so she continued. "_I know we're not exactly best friends here, so I thought you'd be glad I'd be leaving Forks next year."_

"Three hours away isn't exactly leaving." Jasper's tone and his face said two different things. He sounded upset, but she didn't think it was her not going far enough away.

"_It's far enough." _With narrowed eyes, she thought she saw him cringe.

Erica liked him. She wanted to be near him, but not when he was acting like this.

"_I thought we were friends."_ In hindsight, it was very one sided. He seemed to know everything about her, yet she didn't even know his actual species.

Instead of countering it like she was afraid he would do, he burst out with something else. "Humans are so oblivious."

"_Since I'm so 'oblivious' then , why don't you tell me what I can't see?" _If she wasn't so intimidated by his glare, she would throw the pillow at him.

Jasper didn't reply, so she stood up. Letting the pillow fall onto the chair, Erica strode out of the room. It would have been a much more dramatic exit if she didn't need to take to steps back to grab her backpack. Her fingers squeezed around the coarse fabric of her sack, matching the turmoil inside of her. She knew he would follow her, knew that he wasn't done making her feel inferior.

_"Why do you hate me so much?" _Even without a voice she was timid.

It was difficult to differentiate the Jasper that made her feel normal, who lit up a spark of attraction that was almost forbidden in nature, from the Jasper that made her eyes burn with tears and her heartache in sheer sorrow.

He was almost hesitant in his reply, which made her jaw clench. "Because of the way I feel."

Erica scoffed loudly at that, her hands clenching gently. "_You really hate me that much, huh. Must have been harboring that a long time, maybe since the moment I revealed I knew something was off about your family._"

His hair moved along with the shake of his head. "I don't hate you, I can't hate you. It must be a side effect to being a monster."

Annoyance twanged at her as she rolled her eyes at his response. "_You can self depreciate later... preferably when I'm not here."_

With heavy feet she slowly moved away from him near the entrance of the kitchen, forcing her eyes to rest on something other than him. His eyes more specifically. They were so unique and beautiful, the perfect piece to impress the art institute. Now they made her almost heartbroken.

Loudly, she gasped as his hand wrapped around her wrist. "I don't hate you because—"

And then his lips were on hers. It was sudden and rushed, yet full of so much emotion and intimacy. Her pain and wet eyes, contrasted with his cool skin and rough movements. The hand that was on her wrist went up her arm and found a place on the back of her neck, the other gently rested against her jaw. Her own arms that had stilled in shock by her side carefully moved to rest against his chest. One of her hands clenched at the tailored collar on his shirt. It was like she was being painted onto him, completely molding to his body in a blissful embrace.

She had never been kissed before, let alone with that much passion. Their lips moved both rough and softly together, her gasps and the sound of their skin filling the air. If her anger was poetic, than this passion was pure beauty.

Like with all good things, their kiss came to an end. It could have been minutes or even hours since she was last out of his grasp. Realistically she knew it was only seconds.

Even pulled away, she was still so intimately close to Jasper. His hands did release their hold like his mouth did. So she didn't move her arms.

Dimly, she was aware of how it felt to see his reaction and hear him insult her species. It didn't just disappear, though it wasn't as strong as before.

Her fingers that brushed against his shirt pulled away so she could sign one word. "_Why?"_

Jasper didn't answer, as he released her suddenly and pulled away to rest against the cupboards once more. She would have been more insulted had he not just finished kissing her.

"Why did I react that way? Why can't I hate you? Why am I a monster?" He rattled away aggressively, running a hand through his curly hair.

Before she could clarify, he stopped her.

"I'm a vampire Erica."

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**AN: Let's be honest here, who was expecting that to happen. ^-^**

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**lizy2000 : It was pretty amazing to see! Thank you for reviewing! :D**

**GhostlySights: It was Bella :) (let's be honest though, I so want Erica and Amy to be BFF's forever- literally)**

**TaTa B-P: Yes! My little Erica was just thrown in the last chapter, Jasper seems to be pretty good at that ;P**

**.x23: Aaah thank you so much! :) I must admit, I'm constantly worried that I'm mucking up this whole thing, so thank you! **

**SheikahLover: Yep, it was Bella! :D But who knows, Amy could always be there too- the vision could change at any time ;P Thank you so much for the kind words! :) I think the weird gaps had to do with my computer, so I'll fix those soon. :)**

**Willow Willa: It definitely would! :) Ahh thank you so much for the kind words! I think we all feel that way, Amy is just awesome. But with Bella comes key points, but Amy will still be worked in someway. Ah thank you, SheikahLover is just all kinds of brilliant!**

**Anon: That's a really cute ship name for them! :D**

**FlamingForest: Thank you! I'm so happy you think so! :)**

**Guest: I hope you like this one! :)**

**Melanie14: Thank you! :) Hopefully this one doesn't disappoint. :)**

**Guest: Here it is, dear! :)**

**OnyxRing: Oh my, thank you so much! :) It is definitely not abandoned! As for updates, there pretty random at the moment. When I'm constant, they'll come in a week at a time, but it won't go longer than a month without an update. (or several updates) Bella and the Pack will most definitely be involved, so I won't just cast them aside for Erica. As for Bella and her appearance, this started in August and she'll arrive in the upcoming January. Thank you so much, again, for the support! :)**

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**Thank you so much for all the support! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! **


	24. Chapter 23: Running Away

**Huge thank you to my beta reader, SheikahLover, seriously no words could adequately describe how amazing she is! ^-^**

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Chapter 23:

When Erica was five, she thought that she had experienced the scariest and most traumatic event that would ever happen: she was separated from her father and stepmom in a shopping center. Nothing ever did amount to how much fear filled her; how she thought the world was coming to an end and crashing around her during that time.

Now, nearly eighteen years old, reality came down against her again. Though this time, she didn't have the comfort of finding her parents amongst the metaphoric rubble to subdue her suddenly prevalent fear.

_"You're crazy."_ Was all she could muster, as she tried to stop her natural instinct to flee that was quickly bubbling inside the pit of her stomach.

Even as she suppressed the urge, she couldn't stop herself from looking at each exit point in the room. She could feel the wild pulsating of her heart, so different from how it beat when he was embracing her just minutes ago. Her body felt heavy, her every movement jarring her.

"It makes sense now, doesn't it?" Jasper didn't seem to take her reaction badly; instead he acted as if it was the perfect response. It was as if he was happy to see her so afraid.

Even as she shook her head she knew he was right. _"Your immortality, the speed and grace, even your gifts."_

"All leading up to us being monsters."

Something inside her snapped, whether it was caused by his smug expression or her own emotions she didn't know. _"Stop saying that!"_

There was something akin to annoyance, directed towards his stubborn reasoning. She didn't think he was a monster, she didn't feel that way about any of the Cullen's. But how could she ever look at them the same way, after knowing they were vampires. Vampires. The word made her visibly shudder, sucking out any of the thrill she once felt in learning what they were.

_"Would you call Esme a monster?" _It might have been considered an insensitive thing to ask, even if it was rhetoric.

But she wanted to get her point across. Esme, who was the most caring person Erica had ever met, was a vampire. So was Alice, someone she regarded as a friend. Even Rosalie, who was by all means horrible to others, was hard to see as a monster. Which is why she didn't see Jasper as a monster, it was entirely impossible to think of him that way.

"Erica," he sighed, sounding stressed.

_"Do you think Esme is a monster?" _She repeated, nearly stepping forward before deciding otherwise. _"Because I don't think that any of you are monsters."_

She wanted to close the gap between them, but not for his sake. Suddenly, she was really beginning to feel her sense of gravity being pulled away, which was leading her body up into space… never to be seen again. Everything that she knew in the world was wrong. Unlike what her parents and the world told her, there were creatures out there, lurking in the dark and under beds. She didn't want to get lost in all of the overwhelming truths, yet the only person who kept her grounded wanted to push her away.

"You're only saying that because you don't understand." Jasper countered, seemingly uncaring of how much he affected her.

Maybe it would be better if she did drift away; it wouldn't hurt as much as it did to hold on. But she couldn't. Erica had come this far, with Jasper no less.

_"Then help me understand, they don't exactly sell 'Vampires for Dummies' books." _Erica scoffed, tapping her finger against the cold countertop.

Just like she had done before, Jasper's golden eyes flickered towards the entrance to the main room. "Alice would be the best to explain this stuff, or better yet, Carlisle."

As she shook her head, determined to keep conversation, he grimaced. _"I want you to tell me why you're a monster; prove it, because I don't believe you are."_

She could imagine what Amy would say if they were in the same room, how the brunette would call her an idiot for provoking him. Just thinking about Amy made her wonder if they told her as well, or just simply took her home.

"Vampires kill people Erica, _I _have killed people."

_"You used past tense." _Erica pointed out, finally moving the tiniest step closer to him. "_You said—"_

Jasper interrupted, smiling humorlessly. "_That _out of everything else is what you grasped?"

With her hands already moving, her rebuttal ready, he disappeared from sight before she could finish the first word.

* * *

It was cold outside, the kind of cold where even standing beside the glass pane fogged up the view of the rain. She was still at the Cullen house, currently admiring one of the many glass windows. She was near the dining table, her lower back leaning against one of the chairs. Now that she knew their secret, Emmett had taken it upon himself to show off their inhuman skills. Right before he began, Erica knew the buff man was excited by the prospect. It was evident by his shimmering amber irises and matching smirk. The pouring rain that would have immediately chilled her human skin didn't stop Emmett from running around in blurs, and tossing tree trunks against other trees in a warped version of bowling it seemed. Even with the house around her, his booming laughter shook the planes of glass and rattled the chair she was leaning against.

"He's such an idiot sometimes." Erica turned around to see Rosalie standing beside her, towering before her with expensive suede heels and an outfit Erica couldn't even dream about wearing confidently.

There was a soft smile on her face, contrasting with the natural guarded look in her eyes.

"I don't trust you, Erica." Her gaze never left Emmett's, but the smile on her face tensed.

Erica wasn't upset at Rosalie's sudden declaration; she almost expected it to happen.

_"I know." _She signed with a small smile.

The other blonde nodded to herself slightly. "So you understand how much you jeopardize my family."

Erica only nodded; there wasn't much she could add to what Rosalie was saying.

"I want you to _really _understand this, Erica." There was a new gaze in her eyes, less concealed and more pityingly. "We've never told another human what we are. It's forbidden to do so, after all. "

_"Why do I feel like this is less of a threat and more of a warning?" _Erica asked, confused at Rosalie's approach to this.

Rosalie didn't answer her question. "Do you still feel alone?"

_"I might not be supernatural, but yes, I don't feel like the greatest disaster to walk into Forks." _They were referring to the last time she willingly talked to Erica.

It was then that Erica realized that Rosalie could understand sign language, that she had put the effort into something she said she wouldn't learn. She wasn't so much flattered, but knew that they came to some sort of understanding of each other.

"You should leave while you still can." Erica recognized the words from their last meeting, only this time they didn't upset her. "Because I don't think you'll have much say in your fate if you stay around us."

_"Did Jasper put you up to this?" _Rolling her eyes, as she asked, Erica wondered if he was listening to the only verbal half of their conversation.

As she nodded her head, her long hair didn't move out of place. "Neither of us wants to see you condemned to this life."

"Don't try to scare her away, Rose." Alice's unexpected entrance startled her.

As Alice walked over to them, slightly taller than Erica in her platform shoes, there was an unspoken conversation between the two female vampires.

Rosalie's bitter glare intensified while Alice smiled. With one huff and not a single look back, Rosalie fled the room with a strut even a runway model would be envious of.

A cold tiny hand placed itself on her shoulder. "Don't listen to her, you're part of our family now Erica."

_"Should I start calling myself a monster too, then?" _She asked with a bitter feeling in her stomach.

A silence settled between them, though it wasn't awkward. When Erica glanced up at her, she noticed that Alice wasn't even paying attention to anything. She seemed monotone, her usual smile replaced with an agape glazed over expression.

As if noticing Erica watching her, Alice suddenly shut her mouth with a snap and smiled.

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**_Alice's P.O.V_****:**

_It was the forest view again, but not as dark or rainy. In fact, it was one of the rare sunshine filled moments that Forks barely saw. It wasn't unusual to find the Cullen coven in the forest during those days, hidden away from the world by the trees as they hunted or simply enjoyed each other's company. But what was different was seeing Erica with them. In the furthest corner of the Cullen backyard, Erica was standing there. She wasn't human, that much Alice could see, which was evidently made known as Erica stuck her left hand out from the concealment of the shadows, only to pull it back with a loud giggle as her fingertips sparkled blindingly._

_With her inhuman hearing, Alice could make out every word that she said._

_"I look like I belong on a kindergartner's project!" Her boisterous laugh was high in pitch, her face animated with pure amusement._

_"Now do you see why we can't be outside in the sun?" It was Jasper, who stood behind her with his own amused smile._

_"Yeah, because we look hilarious!" Even for Alice, it was difficult to understand the girl through the thick giggles._

_The only thing that could silence the newborn, and make her cease her running in and out of the sunlight, was Jasper's hand on her waist. Alice almost felt like she should look away, but she didn't and instead watched them embrace each other._

_Her mouth opened unwillingly, as herself in the vision spoke. "That's enough you two, save it for the alter!"_

_As Erica tore herself away from Jasper, Alice could see the orange tint to her eyes. Meaning she was recently changed._

_"Oh, please Alice, you and—"_

As the vision cut out, Alice couldn't stop smiling. Even if she desperately wanted to know what Erica was going to say, she couldn't contain her glee.

"It doesn't matter what anyone says or does, you're family now." She reaffirmed, pulling Erica out of the room. "Now, let's go peel Amy away from Edward."

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**AN: I just love Alice's visions. ;P (plus, all that Jarica(Erisper?) drama)**

**I also wanted to say right now how grateful I am to all the support! Y'all are simply amazing!**

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**gossamermouse101: The finally did!**

**GhostlySights: Me too! :'( I should write an AU one shot just for Amy and Edward! ;P I hope you like this one too! (there's a bit of Amy and Edward here)**

**Guest : Here it is dear! :D Thank you so much! :)**

**Shadowmere Consortium: I know, I was so happy they finally kissed! :D Thank you!**

**Lady Brookelle: Aah thank you! :)**

**TaTa B-P: I'm glad I threw y'all with that ending! ;P Jasper is being a butt in this chapter though, but we'll get more cute moments soon. ^-^ I hope you like this one as well!**

**hourhercrevan: Now way! I'm doing this till the very end(and even after Breaking Dawn to be honest) ;P**

**Fan: Thank you so much! I won't lie, a lot of that poetic touch comes from my beta reader! ^-^**

**SheikahLover: Yesss! It was just a big whammy of a chapter! ;P Aah you were definitely right, I seriously expected people to hate the kiss or find it weirdly placed. I have to thank you for a lot of this, as I doubt I'd even make it to 23 chapters without your support! :D Aaah I hope so! Aaah thank you so much, bub, you're seriously just the best! It's funny you mention Jasper in Eclipse, as I binge watched his fight scene, like ten times, before writing that kiss! ;P Yes! I love that suggestion, as it'd be amazing to see Carlisle tell her about vampires and just be a figure in her life! :)**

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**Thank you to everyone! I'll tell you now, the next chapter is actually half way written so it should be up soon. :)**

**Also, more people have asked if I'm abandoning this, just wanted to reassure you and say I most definitely won't give this story up. I'm going to take this all the way past Breaking Dawn! (get ready SheikahLover, because there's gonna be a lot of chapters for us to go through to reach that point ;P )**


	25. Chapter 24: Sweet Whispers

**I know I promised this chapter would be up waaay sooner than this, but a bit after my last update I caught a nasty sinus infection and spent a while recovering. I'm back in full swing now and so is this story! :D **

**I'm unfathomably grateful for the most amazing beta reader, SheikahLover!**

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***UPDATE NOTE: I have fixed the inconsistency regarding Amy knowing the secret, adding an additional sub scene. It's completely unedited, so any spelling issues or grammatical mistakes are my fault.**

Chapter 24:

Erica expected to find Amy draped over Edward, the vampire looking traumatized as Amy spiritedly tried to grope him. Instead, they found the two calmly seated next to each other, the softest of noises coming from the piano. Most surprising to Erica was seeing that it was Amy tapping the white and black keys. From what she could understand, during her previous visits, very few were allowed to touch the keys of the piano Edward held close to his heart.

Watching them, Erica was almost convinced that a supernatural influence was keeping her so docile near him. But when Amy shot her face in their direction, she raised her eyebrows up and down in a spastic motion with a crazed smile. Erica couldn't help but smile widely, especially when Amy's eyebrows would disappear underneath her bangs.

Behind her, Edward began to play the instrument. She wondered if Amy knew about their secret. But as Edward shook his head suddenly, without stopping his playing she knew they hadn't. She felt something akin to disappointment at learning that, knowing they probably didn't want her telling Amy either. At least not now, with them around.

Edward didn't glance up at her, immersed into his playing. It was a beautiful melody, something she would hear her father nonchalantly listen to before Lidia shut the music off wanting to listen to something more popular or upbeat.

"Alright Amy, you had your fun." Amy's smile dropped off her face as Alice said that.

Nonetheless, she slowly stood up and gathered her bag off the floor. The three of them exited the room, the music behind them dulling as they left. With Alice in front of them, she led the two humans to a room that Erica hadn't seen before. Erica smiled slightly as she peered through a window, seeing the destroyed tree near the edge of the lot, a boulder split in two pieces next to it. Seeing the sight, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have that strength. The thought nearly stilled her completely, her feet faltering on the hallway floor.

"You okay, Eri?" It was Amy who reached out to grab her, even after she had regained her balance.

"_I need to tell you something." _Erica suddenly confessed, Jasper's words ringing quietly in her mind.

It hadn't been long, but she was already suffocating in the idea of keeping such a deep secret hidden from Amy. It wasn't even hers to tell, yet she found she didn't care. At least, not with how far they'd come, together no less. It wasn't right of Erica to know while Amy still wondered in the dark.

Peaking a glance at Alice, she found no warning gaze or hurried panic. Instead Alice seemed to be purposefully gazing at a stray painting near them.

"_I know what the Cullen's are." _Erica signed slowly, with a slight tremor to her fingers.

As she expected, Amy's eyes widened dramatically, gaping along with her mouth. "Well what are you waiting for, tell me!"

She had yet to let go of Erica, her grasp tightening with her plea. Erica nodded her head, twisting the ends of her hair. Amy unconsciously mimicked her nod, releasing the sleeve of Erica's sweater.

Amy noticed her hesitation, smirking slightly as she misunderstood it. "I was so right! You guys are wizards!"

Erica wished it were that simply explained and that she didn't have to burst Amy's bubble of joy.

"_Vampires."_

Who knew that one word, eight letters, could dwindle all the light in Amy's face.

What Erica didn't expect was for it to reignite with an even brighter beam.

"That is _so _cool!" Amy all but squealed, wringing her hands as she did. "Oooh, now I can actually ask Edward to _bite me_."

Her voice dipped with the words, in what was supposed to be husky broke into shrill giggles.

To say Erica was shocked was an understatement. Maybe Erica would have had a similar reaction had she not been kissed by a gorgeous vampire before the confession.

Erica was never more thankful for Alice's presence as she dragged both girls back on their journey.

They all entered the room, which was paneled with dark wood and a large desk in the middle of the room. Alice, of course, strode in confidently and leaned against the desk, followed by Amy who stood beside her. The two girls began to talk, Erica hearing a few snippets about winter jackets. Erica didn't mind, lost in thought as she sat down on the floor behind Amy's feet. Between her legs rested her schoolbag, Amy's tossed beside it.

As she thought more about it, being a vampire had its perks. Amy sure believed as much, judging by the coos she exchanged with Alice in the study. She would be graced with inhuman strength and enhanced senses. However, in the back of her mind she couldn't help but hear Rosalie's warning. To get out of this as fast as she could would mean leaving behind the Cullen's. Leaving Jasper behind her. It was ominous and heavy, the way Rosalie didn't want Erica to be condemned, as she made it sound. She didn't think it sounded half bad to become an immortal. Maybe Amy would even join her. The thought made her stomach clench, however.

The sound of the door opening caught Erica's attention, dragging her away from such thoughts and towards the figure who entered the room. It was Dr. Cullen. He was wearing a similar outfit from when he had provided a sling for her shoulder, only minus the hospital coat. He looked grim, and Erica knew that he'd been informed of Jasper telling Erica what they are. She wondered if anyone else knew about their kiss. She hoped not, otherwise she wouldn't be able to face any of them properly again without blushing fiercely.

"Good evening girls." Carlisle sounded pleasant enough, as he moved behind the desk to place some items that Erica hadn't noticed before down on the tabletop .

Beside his desk, Erica could see several religious items. Such as the large cross pinned to the wall, a deep dark wooden form that was lined in iron. She found it ironic, as the lore was that vampires were the opposite of all things holy. It was then that she was struck by how little she knew of the Cullen's, especially their vampire side.

"Erica has some questions." Alice stated, shuffling to the side and helping Erica stand.

As he sat down in the leather chair, Amy and Erica positioned themselves in the center of the opposite side.

Carlisle gestured with his hand for them to ask, Erica beating Amy to the punch with her hands moving rapidly.

_"What makes a vampire different from humans? Besides the obvious." _She wanted to know everything, learn about the depths of this culture hidden away from humanity.

"Also, do you have fangs?" Amy immediately added, a blush tinting her face at the odd looks she received from them. No doubt she was thinking about Edward _biting _her again.

Erica watched her best friend bite her lips, her face twitching slightly before she had another poorly restrained outburst. "Plus, how do they compare to animal canines? Are they longer, maybe thicker?"

After a short pause, Erica pulled her hands up and signed her own curiousness about fangs.

Immediately following, the two vampires in the room burst into laughter. Alice was more hysterical than her reserved father figure.

"Nope, just these." Alice ran her thumb over her perfect teeth framed by a wide smile, giggling while she did.

Erica felt ridiculous for being curious, but not finding the notion of them not having fangs strange. Just the very idea of them existing was crazy enough, she didn't mind if the details weren't exactly right as to what she used to fictitiously believe.

_"Why don't you just explain everything, just so we don't miss any topic?"_ Erica asked, a blush growing as Alice hardly restrained her amusement.

Amy awkwardly shuffled her feet, nervous bubbles of forced chuckles slipped out of her mouth. Erica found it odd, as Amy was never on the receiving end of embarrassment. She was too bold and confident to actually care. Maybe it was because Edward was in the same building or she felt inferior next to Alice. It was almost comforting to know she wasn't the only one out of their depth this time.

* * *

Two hours had sluggishly flown by during what Erica was now referring to as "Vampires: A Crash Course." Despite it being so intense and boring at some parts, she felt as if they had barely learned a thing about vampires. Especially after Carlisle stated that tomorrow their discussion would be on vampire politics. Of all the things she expected to learn, like vampires, their own political system was almost unbelievable.

_"Politics—_vampire _politics." _She tried to clarify, walking backwards down the hall in front of Alice and Amy.

Amy snorted loudly, pulling her ponytail higher as she did. "Do you guys have a democracy or more of a dictatorship thing going on?"

_"Blink twice if you're being ruled by vampire Darth Vader."_

Alice only rolled her eyes in response, ignoring Erica. "You'll learn about it tomorrow."

"Wait, if you _were _ruled by vampire Darth Vader, does that make Erica Han Solo and the Hale twins Luke and Leia?"

_"While I could definitely pull of the vest, I just don't think hair buns are Jasper's thing."_

"Enough about that, we have something very important to discuss." Alice sounded so urgent that if Erica didn't already know what she would say, she would be concerned.

_"Please don't." _Erica begged, hoping her desperate eyes voiced her plea.

Staring back at Alice's mischievous grin faltering, Erica felt hope briefly.

"Okay, I won't." Erica's face deflated back to normal. "I'll just wait until we get to your house."

With her mouth agape, she hardly felt Alice skip past her with a small pat on her head.

"I love Erica gossip time." Amy said wistfully, trailing after Alice with a wide beam.

Erica would have laughed at the small strut Amy unconsciously mimicked, had she not been so frozen in her current spot.

She did and didn't want Amy to know what happened. It was almost too good to be true that she, a wimpy human, was kissed by Jasper, an inhuman creature.

Erica could almost still feel the way she held onto Jasper. The feeling of his shirt collar crinkling under her fingers, the expensive material mimicking the cold temperature of him. When her other hand rested on his chest, she realized now he had no heartbeat. It scared her, she wasn't going to lie to herself and admit it didn't. But it didn't stop her from wanting him to grab her arm, hold onto her, and never stop the glorious feeling of passion.

A throat cleared behind her, startling her out of the reminiscing thought. As she turned around, she was aware her face was flushed slightly.

"Alice is ready to leave now." Edward told her, awkwardly rubbing a hand on his neck. "Also, could you please not think about _that_?"

_Sorry Edward_. She thought, somewhat relieved to not use ASL.

It was nice, being around Edward, almost like they were two normal people talking and not a mute and a vampire.

His face twisted up, but he didn't say anything. Erica figured he shared a similar view with Rosalie; that Erica was in a dangerous situation and was a possible danger to them.

"Yes and no, it's more about the danger we're putting _you_ in." Edward clarified, he smooth voice calming her worries that he hated her as well.

_Does this mean no more piano time?_ She jokingly wondered.

As expected he rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you were able to play a tune."

Together they fell in step, reaching the stairs and descending. It was a comfortable rhythm, one she wouldn't be able to match on the piano keys.

_"That's not nice."_ Her face twisted into a pout, crumpling away as she smiled widely.

Before replying, he flicked her hand down, pointing to the handrail. "I'm not exactly the peak of politeness."

_"You can't even say that without smirking." _Erica countered, making a show of placing her hand back down as they reached the last few steps.

Only several Cullen's stood in the room, actually the only missing members were Jasper and Rosalie. She wondered if he was still close enough to feel her disappointment, maybe he was even watching her through one of the many windows. Part of her wished he did feel it, so he could know the exact impact and influence he held over her.

Edward didn't confirm or deny her thoughts, simply laying a hand on her shoulder as he went past her.

"Congratulations again, Erica." Esme told her, striding forward to place her arms around her. "I can't wait to see your entry piece."

"You know, Esme has a passion for painting." Alice chirped, winking at Erica over Esme's shoulder.

_"I doubt I can compare."_ Erica admitted, running her hand through her hair afterwards.

Esme laughed lightly, squeezing Erica's shoulders as she let go. "Don't sell yourself short, besides I've had quite a while to practice."

"You will too Erica." The room grew quite as Alice said that, from the distance Erica thought she heard a tree fall.

Both humans stood there awkwardly for a moment, before Dr. Cullen broke the tension.

"I'm sure we'll have a lot to discuss tomorrow." With that the cloud lightened some, though it did nothing for the storm brewing in her mind.

"Goodnight!" Amy sang loudly, even though they now knew vampires couldn't sleep.

Erica snorted lightly. _"Goodnight."_

Alice ushered them outside, prancing around the meticulously placed plants.

Lingering behind them, Erica held her hands up once more. She could hear Amy and Alice chattering loudly, then the sound of a car door shutting. She figured Amy left it open for her.

"Hurry up Morgan!" Amy shouted loudly from the driveway.

Erica waved her off, looking back towards the forest expanse with a small grin. _"Goodnight Jasper."_

* * *

Later that night after a thorough description of how well Jasper kissed, which was _very _well, Erica settled herself into bed.

She thought it would be awkward, as Alice was technically his "sibling." But she found the most amusement in Erica's awkwardness. Especially when Amy insisted that she give them a slow play-by-play. Which included Erica positioning herself with an invisible Jasper. Alice had nearly fallen off the couch as she howled with laughter. The noise prompted her mother to come out in her after work casuals, and then staying for the next half an hour with them.

It was undeniably indescribable for Erica, as if she regularly sat down and discussed her escapades. It was beautiful, and it was the picture of normality. That is, if normality allowed vampire-human interracial relationships.

In the depths of her blankets, still too fresh in them to hold any warmth, Erica let herself imagine she was in that moment again. She would never tire of that, whether it was real or not, she _craved_ his touch. She found attraction behind fear of what he was, finding it _who _he was. Dreams or reality, it was all a gift to her. To think she had gone nearly eighteen years without that strong of emotions. Even the anger and spite that led up to her explosion of fireworks was magical.

With that thought, she let herself slip away into the cold blankets. Barely hearing the soft words that were whispered around her.

"Goodnight Erica."

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**AN: Awww I love sweet endings :3 **

**Thank you, thank you, thank you to all you lovely people who have supported this story! :O I can hardly believe it, to be honest. Thank you.**

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**Scarlet Lupin: Thank you! :)**

**lizy2000: Aah thank you! It's so fun to write in another view.**

**Olivia0707: Thanks! :D**

**SheikahLover: AAAh yes! I almost made Erica flee the room in that scene, but I figured that be too strong of a reaction xP I can't wait to write up her reaction when she hears his backstory, it'll be more like a "well damn" moment. Aaah thank you! I was worried I was either being too strong with Rose, or not enough. Yess, there will definitely be more showing off as well in the future! Erica's tiny, she could practically be a juggling ball next to him. ;P Amy's soo caught up with the romantic ideal of the lifestyle, which will come to play more as they realize how tough and scary vampires are (thanks to Bella.) I love Carlisle's character being involved more, and while he's a bit more sparse, he'll be constant during her vampire knowledge journey. Thank you so much, I really appreciate you not only being a friend but overall supportive and helpful! :)**

**TaTa B-P: Stupid boys ;P Yep! Rosalie might even grow to have a soft spot for Erica.**

**insanefangirlsunite: Team Jasper all the way C: Ahh thank you!**

**adaisyamongroses: Thank you! I agree with that wholeheartedly, and while I love a good BellaxJasper, there's something special about an OC. I'm so happy you consider mine one of the great ones, I'm just a bit ecstatic at hearing that :) Thank you for hanging on for the story, I know updates aren't as frequent as a lot of people do them, so it means a lot to me to know. Thank you!**

**chloejayne123: Thank you! :)**

**Guest(1): Aaah thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Princess of The Volturi: I think a part 2 is well overdue here :D**

**Princess of The Volturi (2): Haha thank you!**

**bethlehem945: AHH thank you! I can see Erica knocking Jacob back a few pegs, especially when he get's so clingy with Bella. But it won't be an outright "I hate Jacob", more an friendly understanding between the two.**

**Anonymous: Here it is! :)**

**Guest(2): I hope you enjoy the update! :)**

**Lonewyvern: Thank you! I seriously can't wait for Bella to come in! :D**

**Guest(3): Here it is! :)**

**Ahem Brackets: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the update! :)**

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**I hope I'm not drawing this all out too much, because I can't wait for the events of Twilight either ;P**


	26. Chapter 25: Butterflies

**Thank you to SheikahLover, the greatest beta reader!**

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**(Small side note, if for some reason any of the italicized words are ran together that is the Doc Manager's fault as each time I've saved the doc I've needed to put spaces in every single one of Erica's dialogue again. Very sorry if I, and Microsoft, didn't catch them all.)**

**Also, I've been thinking of settling this once and for all, who will Amy end up with. There will be a poll* set up and for those without an account or simply don't want to vote, I'll be taking opinions in reviews as votes as well.**

********The set up of the poll is a bit confusing so I'll explain it somewhat here. As I told someone over PM, who thankfully brought this to my attention: if someone chooses that they don't like Bella and would love Amy more, then they can have a bit more customization in her fate. I know that a lot of people have mixed emotions on Renesmee, so (given that majority wins) a Renesmee like baby would either become Amy's, Erica's, or not exist entirely making Breaking Dawn disappear. But that only applies really if they decide "bleh I hate Bella" or maybe "I'd just like a refreshing Edward OC sprinkled in" with the option "Amy takes the place of Bella" and an added vote on how Breaking Dawn goes as you can vote two.**

**If confusion persists just shoot me a PM and I'll try to help y'all specifically. :) **

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Chapter 25:

_Goodnight Erica_, those words replayed several times in her mind. She knew that they belonged to _him_, it was impossible to misplace the low southern tone. It would have been heartwarming, to know he replied to her silent goodbye, had it not been ridiculously creepy.

_"Repeat after me: I will __not __enter Erica's room without her permission again."_ Erica signed precisely, narrowing her eyes up at the tall vampire.

He sighed loudly, making it clear to those around them that he was humoring her.

"I will not enter your room without permission again." He placed a heavy amount of elegance and dramatics to his actions, even placing a hand on his heart for added emphasis.

Erica didn't find it as funny as the other Cullen's around them. _"I will hit you with a bat."_

"You're gonna need something a lot stronger than that, darling." Jasper said easily, dropping his arm.

As his arm fell it brushed up against her arm, her long sleeve did nothing to hide the constant chill of his body temperature. While they had not discussed their _embrace _yet, things were noticeably different between them. The week before, Jasper would never have stood so close to her, let alone arm-to-arm. He wouldn't have even spoken as many words, or humor and tease her.

She wondered if other people noticed, if their newfound states were any indication. As she stood in the elusive circle of vampires, people skirted past them in the school parking lot. Their eyes met hers each time she looked away from the group, full of envy and disbelief as their resident mute was officially making her association with the Cullen's clear. For the past month, her accidental rumor of her dating Jasper spread lightly, a simple spark to the fire she just started.

_"Then __I'll just ask Emmett to hit you with a bat."_ Erica snarled, jerking her chin towards the bulky vampire across from her.

They laughed, not sounding anywhere near condescending as they would have sounded to her ears before.

"I might not look like much but," Alice swung her hands in a mock bat motion, pretending to point it at Jasper. "I've got a mean left hook."

_"Why would you even go in my room, Jasper? That's super creepy."_ Erica continued from before, craning her neck to look into his eyes.

She didn't have her hair pulled back this time, the jaw length strands covering half of her right eye. As they neared mid-October, it was becoming too cold for her to adventure with her hair. That choice resulted in several long minutes of Alice ignoring her, and Amy threatening to throw away her new headbands and decorative pins.

"Yeah Jasper, old men like you shouldn't be in there." Emmett nearly howled at his brother, dodging the hand Rosalie tried to whack him with. "Even I know that's weird."

Erica rolled her eyes, looking at Edward who leaned against his silver Volvo, watching them all with silent eyes. _"Would you do something that creepy?"_

Edward snorted, grinning crookedly. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Erica barely caught Alice's mischievous and fleeting smirk.

"I doubt Rose would find me being in her room creepy. In fact she'd..." Emmett followed that by several other words involving roleplay that made Erica cringe.

_"You know what, I think I heard the bell ring."_She announced, crinkling her nose.

"So did I," Alice agreed, her own face wrinkled.

Along with them, Jasper and Edward voiced similar sentiments. As the four separated, Rosalie and Emmett hardly noticed as they were too preoccupied with each other.

As they walked away, the slightest touch of a hand against Erica's back had her beaming wider than she'd ever entering the school.

* * *

_"You do realize we need to talk about it at some point._" Erica was finally taking charge.

By that, she asked Alice which class Jasper had before lunch and left hers five minutes early to stand outside the economics class. It was almost funny to see the exasperated expression on his face, as he no doubt knew she was coming the moment she left her own classroom. It was most likely why he waited until every other student left the room to exit, it wasn't the first time she had bombarded a Cullen, but this time he knew what it was she wanted to talk about.

She knew he was mostly humoring her, following behind her as she pulled his wrist. Jasper's arm was ridiculously long compared to hers, and with his towering height, she had to grab him by the elbow so she would be able to sign as well as lead.

"I already apologized for being in your room uninvited." Jasper drawled, he sounded as if it were possible for a vampire to be exhausted.

_"Ha, you say that as if I'll be extending an invitation."_ Erica snorted, patting his arm with mock condescension.

His smirk said what he was thinking.

_"I thought soldiers were gentlemen._" Erica accused, teasingly swatting his arm and holding her nose up.

She didn't let go of him yet, still leading him through the halls.

"You've never been around an army of men then."

She scoffed at that. _"Please Jasper, you were from the south, in 1860 no less."_

Just the idea of him sitting around with other men being crude made her disbelieve him. Even if he was a soldier in modern time, Erica couldn't picture him being less of the charming if not slightly frustrating young man.

"I see you still remember the history paper." She had stopped dragging him and now they strolled together arm and arm through the thick of the students.

Erica could almost imagine them taking a proper stroll, her in a dainty cotton dress while he showed her off to the townsfolk. After hearing more about their personal stories, in not very much detail, mind you, it was easier for her to lose herself in such thoughts. All night she dreamt of being a horrible southern belle, shielded away from society until her soldier swooped in to rescue her.

_"How could I forget?"_She smiled up at Jasper, raising an eyebrow under her hair as she did. _"Whitlock suits you much better than Hale."_

"Hale comes from Rose." Jasper told her as they rounded the corner. "Why are you taking me to the library?"

_"Because my mom tried a new mushroom recipe that I really don't want to touch, and you don't eat."_Her nose wrinkled as she let him go slightly ahead of them to open the door.

The library was one of Erica's favorite places on earth, a beautiful room that eased her transition into public school. It only felt like yesterday that she was fourteen years old, and was stumbling into the large room, feeling overwhelmed and unsure of her current setting. At first, the white walls and metal shelves felt clinical, harsh and cold to her. But after a week straight of shuffling her feet across the dingy gray blue carpet, it became a familiarity. As time passed she didn't go near her comfort zone as much, only occasionally popping in for some quiet reading time. For Erica to bring Jasper there was close enough to inviting him into her heart. She felt safe there, safe enough to speak some of her mind.

"Have you ever considered just not being vegan?" Jasper asked her, the corners of his lips twitching.

_"Do I look like I hate my mom?"_Erica asked him incredulously, gesturing to her face.

It wasn't her smartest move, inviting him to look at her. Especially when she wanted to talk to him about what happened. She didn't really know what type of air shifted between them, but the look in his eyes made her nervous. As if a thousand little pinpricks erupted over her skin; the feeling amplified as his arm grasped onto hers tighter. There were no words to be said, as Erica was afraid of letting her thoughts spill away. As if she would confess that she didn't want to forget what happened, that maybe she wanted to do it again.

"You should be running for the hills." Jasper spoke so lowly, nudging her closer to a book shelf.

_"Yet, I'm still here."_ Erica pulled her arm away, letting both of theirs fall to their sides.

"_If you wanted me to run, kissing me wasn't the best idea."_If Erica could speak, she hoped she would sound brave.

She didn't feel brave, but if she had to put it into words, she felt stupider than usual. _"I don't really know what's happening. It's like you pulled the rug out from under me, but I'm still falling to the ground and can't land… And I'm not sure if I want to land yet."_ With the end of her words, she didn't know how her hand ended up in his.

As a petite in height girl, she was well aware that he was significantly taller. As she held Jasper's hand, his almost completely drowned hers.

Erica wanted to do something more, like maybe lean forward and brush her face against his. But she didn't make a move, especially when his hand slowly reached out to brush her hair away from her face. They didn't need to say anything about his vampirism, even when the air desperately begged to be cleared. She was content with blindly free falling, as she knew he was somewhere at the bottom.

_"I thought I knew what reality was."_ Her fingers brushed against his open palms as she signed. "_Now, nothing but what I know makes sense."_

"What do you know?" Jasper looked ready to start calling himself a monster, plastering an almost bitter smirk across his forever youthful face.

_"I know that something very important happened yesterday._"

Jasper scoffed, ready to jump in. Her hand squeezing his halted whatever tangent he was mentally preparing.

"_Something I don't completely understand, but that's okay."_Erica's finger shook as she signed the last few words. _"I could never regret any moment as long as you're there."_

The next thing she knew was his lips slowly brushes against her cheek, cold and fleeting. Despite it being so quick, she had never felt something as overwhelmingly filled with affection.

"If only you knew how long you've kept me waiting." Long gone was the self-loathing, replaced by well-kept desperation.

_"Well, I'm here now."_

Erica had no intention of letting this go, letting _Jasper_ go.

"For the past few decades Alice told me you were coming, but I always assumed you were turned." His confession had her picturing a red eyed Erica who was unearthly beautiful. "When you started digging around she finally told me you were her."

She felt like she was breathing too loudly, the noise rushing around her ears louder each time he spoke.

"I won't lie, I hated to idea of condemning another person to my lifestyle."

_"So you tried to hate me as well?"_She filled in, stepping closer if it were possible.

"Then I brought you to the attic and realized you could become my everything." His soft voice got louder. "It's funny how fate delivered someone so fragile, who couldn't even scream for help if I lost control."

Jasper made her feel everything from adoration to fear, a compound she wasn't sure she liked yet. But she hardly had any plans to leave.

"_You won't lose control Jasper. I trust you."_She professed, slipping her fingers further away to prevent accidentally angering him.

He dropped his hands to his side. "Only one of my family members has had that high of faith in me."

_"Alice?_" She guessed, not surprised.

When the Cullen's had first moved to town, Erica honestly believed that Alice and Jasper were together. Though they never touched, they held such a great adoration between them that it seemed like they shared some feelings. Maybe once upon a time ago she would have been jealous, but now she knew better. Alice saved Jasper and helped him hold on until Erica arrived. If it weren't for her, then she doubted Jasper would even _be_ a Cullen.

Jasper finally smiled slightly, the tenseness in his body softening. "She told me it was very important that I'd stopped feeding on humans after each slip up and helped me stop throughout the years… I thought she had meant for my own sake. Now I know better."

Alice told him that so he wouldn't drain her once they eventually met, she realized.

_"I really like you Jasper."_ The confession had been stifling her mind, needing to come out.

Once it finally did, it was like all the weight on her shoulders had suddenly dissipated. She was afraid it would come crashing back down once he didn't return the same feelings towards a simple human. She wasn't nearly as pretty as other humans, maybe at best she was cute. But the mutism took any attraction away, at least it did at her school. Even Amy was more beautiful with freckle splotches when standing beside Erica. Erica knew she was no Rosalie, and as a human she didn't compare to the unearthing beauty. But when Jasper was with her, she felt beautiful. Even when they butted heads—admittedly she caused it—there was always that look in his eyes she now knew as adoration.

"I believe we share similar feelings, darling."

With him, she had always felt beautiful.

* * *

That morning, Erica woke up, feeling both irritated and swooning at Jasper's actions. During the middle of the day, she found herself entering a sort of relationship with him. An actual, non-rumor created relationship. After school, he so charmingly left her to face Amy all alone. Getting a head start on the weekend was his excuse. She knew it was because Amy scared him too.

"Why are you blushing?" Amy was like a greyhound, instantly sniffing out her suspicions.

To say Erica waned to toss herself out of the window was an understatement. "_I have a sort of boyfriend."_

It was like ripping a Band-Aid off when delivering news to Amy, sudden and quick enough so you hope she didn't catch it. Even if it might have been reading too much into what happened, she felt right to say she was involved with Jasper.

When Amy squealed, a noise shrill and pitchy, Erica knew she was settling for a long night at the Clear house.

"I'm going to call your mom and say we have an art project because you are not leaving tonight!" Amy looked happier than Erica felt, her eyes shining and cheekbones flushed.

Erica wondered if she looked as star struck and happy, if not even more than Amy did. Because she was so unfathomably happy and out of her depth.

_"I don't have anything besides my bag."_Erica pointed out, already sprawling out on her "side" of Amy's bed.

Amy held up one finger, speeding out of the room to call Heather. Through the thin walls, Erica could hear Amy's animated voice convincingly selling the art project story, promising to not eat any junk food as well. After Amy's farewell, she heard Amy ask her mom to pick up Chinese takeout for dinner, making sure Erica's was the vegetarian option.

It was a good thing that Erica had short hair, as she liked to push it up onto the pillow and off her neck, something that drove Amy crazy before she cut her hair. Each morning of their sleepovers, they would wake up with each other's ponytail in their mouths. Much to Amy's typical aversion, she was covered by the yellow hairs.

Amy's room was like an extension of herself, chaotically ambitious and messy. It was fairly bigger than Erica's room, including the bed, which was a solid oak queen sized smashed up against the furthest wall. There was a large predominantly purple patchwork quilt tossed on the bed, with many matching pillows on top. Leaning against her dresser drawers was two pairs of shoes, one being Amy's brown moccasins and the other was Erica's yellow rain boots.

There was a large dresser opposite it, an old hand-me-down from her grandmother with clunky brass knobs. On the surface was a framed photo of Erica and Amy, both girls raising their arms up with a tiny blue science fair ribbon in between. Erica couldn't hold back a smile at that, it was the project that led to Amy's ambition to be a marine biologist. It was on the tidal cycle and the chart they made still hung up on the wall above her bed. Next to their photo were five more of them, commemorating shared events such as the disastrous time when they tried out for the badminton team. Erica was holding an ice pack to her eye beside a sheepish looking Amy. It wasn't hard to figure out what exactly happened that day.

Her closet door was thrown open, revealing messily hung up dresses and shirts, and a large blue parka was on the floor holding it open. There was a trail of clothes leading away from the closet and into a pink hamper. If Erica hadn't known her best friend's habits as well as she did, she would've been tempted to clean up the mess.

The room's walls were white, but she could hardly see the paint underneath all of the multiple science show tickets and pamphlets, art class drawings, photos, and a few tryout posters taped on the walls. It was almost like a map of who Amy was throughout her current life, traits, interests, and skills progressing and changing.

Amy ran back into the room, picking up the conversation and halting Erica's sentimental trip.

"You can wear my long shirts as dresses." Erica didn't have any warning before she was hit with a face full of cotton as she sat up.

Falling into her lap was an old shirt from Amy's attempt at playing soccer during ninth grade, the Spartans mascot winking back at Erica. There was also the matching blue shorts, both given to Amy after tryouts. She wasn't completely sure the set was clean, but it was probably for the best that she didn't question it. While it didn't fit Amy anymore after her growth spurt in sophomore year, it still managed to be comfortable on Erica.

_"Turn around._" Erica signed, throwing a pillow at Amy.

It was ritual for them; while one got changed the other got a face full of pillow. Because Erica couldn't speak, she would nudge Amy with her foot when done. Once both girls were done, they settled into bed, discussing nonessential things before Mrs. Clear arrived.

Amy suddenly looked up at Erica with wide eyes. "Do you love him?"

Did she? Last year Erica never envisioned herself ever even having a relationship. She always thought she would be like her mother, having children and a love life later on. Maybe even including the divorce once she gave her husband children with her condition. Any potential husband would hate her. Just like she knew her father did to her mother.

So she spoke honestly._"I think one day I'll just wake up irrevocably in love with him."_

"But are you even the slightest bit in love?" Amy shifted so her head was on Erica's pillow, her ponytail hitting her face.

Erica shrugged, shifting her face away from the brown strands. _"I'm falling, slowly but surely I'm getting there every time I see him."_

Amy nodded her head, smiling widely and dimpled. "Those Cullen boys."

She said it so wistfully that Erica jerked her head off the pillow in realization. _"Do you like Edward? Like seriously, not playing the flirt like him?"_

Erica had only seen Amy embarrassed a handful of times, so seeing her blush now was more confirmation than she could ever say.

"What?" She drew out nervously. "I don't _like_him, ha, I definitely do not."

_"You do!"_Erica taunted, her smile as big as possible and a tiny bit crooked. _"Forget my fan club, I'm petitioning for the Amy and Edward movement!"_

"Erica!" Amy groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Oh god he's gonna know, I won't be able to stop thinking about—"

"_The hair? That crooked smile?"_Erica interrupted with flamboyance. _"Is it the Volvo?"_

"What makes you so attracted to Jasper?" Amy countered, slapping Erica's arm.

She didn't have to hesitate to answer._"Initially, he was just as misunderstood as me. Now, it's because I currently can't picture right now without him."_

_"_Damn, you've got it bad."

Amy was right, she really did. With all her heart she knew one day she would confess a growing love for him. Maybe even become a vampire for him. But she wasn't Alice, she couldn't know to some degree of certainty of what would happen. No matter what life threw at her, Erica knew that her attraction wouldn't waver and neither would his.

* * *

**AN: Aw bless, I just love romance.**

* * *

**GhostlySights: I feel like a yoyo when it comes to Amy and Edward, as I just ship them so hard but as you (amazingly) suggested she just might end up with a werewolf. Seriously, that it just an amazing idea that I didn't consider! :D Ahh thank you! :)**

**Breakfast at Amelia's: Thank you soooo much for remidning me to add that section, as it was written but on a separate doc. I'm forever grateful!**

**Wolff Howl: Haha thanks! :D**

**SheikahLover: I'm so happy to know that it hasn't gotten boring, because I'm just constantly worried I'm not writing but more lazing about. Haha, it's so tempting just to give them a big love confession, like musical style with synchronized song and dancing. Ahh I just had to throw him in there, it was hard to resist! ;P Haha, I feel like with Jasper it's more of a "whoops I've screwed up and gotta appease the gf" rather than a "I need to watch every intake of her lungs." xP As Carlisle if one of my favorite characters it's been hard to just leave him in the shadows, so I hope to get a bit of him and his vast knowledge. **

**TaTa B-P: Ahhh thank you! ^-^ **

**Guest and Miniluce (I'm hoping you are the same as it might be the same review but it was posted on separate days) : Thank you so much! :D I'm so happy to hear! ^-^**

**Guest (2): Thank you! I hope you enjoy the update! :D**

**MissMaria4: Haha thank you! Hmmm, I think I'd go with sweetly creepy in the best way ;P**

**Guest(3): Haha I hope you enjoy this one! Sorry for the wait! :)**

**rissbenzo: Here it is! :D**


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